diff --git a/specter/include/Specter/Translator.hpp b/specter/include/Specter/Translator.hpp
index a7f23b83b..369c92336 100644
--- a/specter/include/Specter/Translator.hpp
+++ b/specter/include/Specter/Translator.hpp
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ public:
            const unsigned char* yamlSource, size_t yamlLength);
     const std::string& name() const {return m_name;}
     const std::string& fullName() const {return m_fullName;}
-    const Athena::io::YAMLNode& rootNode() const {return *m_langNode;}
+    const Athena::io::YAMLNode* rootNode() const {return m_langNode;}
 };
 
 class Translator
diff --git a/specter/lib/Translator.cpp b/specter/lib/Translator.cpp
index a8e8569cf..17d53bf9b 100644
--- a/specter/lib/Translator.cpp
+++ b/specter/lib/Translator.cpp
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ void Translator::setLocale(const Locale* targetLocale)
     m_targetLocale = targetLocale;
 }
 
-static const std::string* RecursiveLookup(const Athena::io::YAMLNode& node,
+static const std::string* RecursiveLookup(const Athena::io::YAMLNode* node,
                                           std::string::const_iterator start,
                                           std::string::const_iterator end)
 {
@@ -38,13 +38,13 @@ static const std::string* RecursiveLookup(const Athena::io::YAMLNode& node,
     {
         if (*it == '/')
         {
-            const Athena::io::YAMLNode* ch = node.findMapChild(std::string(start, it).c_str());
+            const Athena::io::YAMLNode* ch = node->findMapChild(std::string(start, it).c_str());
             if (!ch)
                 return nullptr;
-            return RecursiveLookup(*ch, it+1, end);
+            return RecursiveLookup(ch, it+1, end);
         }
     }
-    const Athena::io::YAMLNode* ch = node.findMapChild(std::string(start, end).c_str());
+    const Athena::io::YAMLNode* ch = node->findMapChild(std::string(start, end).c_str());
     if (!ch)
         return nullptr;
     return &ch->m_scalarString;
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ static const std::string* RecursiveLookup(const Athena::io::YAMLNode& node,
 
 const std::string* Translator::translate(const std::string& key) const
 {
-    if ((&m_targetLocale->rootNode()) == nullptr)
+    if (!m_targetLocale->rootNode())
         return nullptr;
 
     return RecursiveLookup(m_targetLocale->rootNode(), key.cbegin(), key.cend());
@@ -60,10 +60,7 @@ const std::string* Translator::translate(const std::string& key) const
 
 std::string Translator::translateOr(const std::string& key, const char* vor) const
 {
-    if ((&m_targetLocale->rootNode()) == nullptr)
-        return vor;
-
-    const std::string* find = RecursiveLookup(m_targetLocale->rootNode(), key.cbegin(), key.cend());
+    const std::string* find = translate(key);
     if (find)
         return *find;
     return vor;