Many American critics shy from reviewing translations. Sometimes, this is a manifestation of self-doubt; for others, it is a doubt that a translator can create a work worth writing about. The latter is pernicious, and has the same result as the former: less attention, less critique, and less respect for translated literature.

For nine years, Translator in Residence Lily Meyer has tried to resist this impulse— in book culture and in herself. She writes regularly about translations. In “Who Am I to Judge” she shares strategies for reviewing books originally written in languages she don’t speak — while also making a case that the U.S. needs more translation critics for the health of not just the literary ecosystem, but our minds.