diff --git a/gtsam/sfm/TranslationRecovery.cpp b/gtsam/sfm/TranslationRecovery.cpp
index 8d27136e3..d4100b00a 100644
--- a/gtsam/sfm/TranslationRecovery.cpp
+++ b/gtsam/sfm/TranslationRecovery.cpp
@@ -39,9 +39,13 @@ TranslationRecovery::TranslationRecovery(
     const TranslationRecovery::TranslationEdges &relativeTranslations,
     const LevenbergMarquardtParams &lmParams)
     : params_(lmParams) {
-  TranslationEdges tempRelativeTranslations;
-  DSFMap<Key> sameTranslationDSF;
+  // Some relative translations may be zero. We treat nodes that have a zero
+  // relativeTranslation as a single node.
 
+  // A DSFMap is used to find sets of nodes that have a zero relative
+  // translation. Add the nodes in each edge to the DSFMap, and merge nodes that
+  // are connected by a zero relative translation.
+  DSFMap<Key> sameTranslationDSF;
   for (const auto &edge : relativeTranslations) {
     Key key1 = sameTranslationDSF.find(edge.key1());
     Key key2 = sameTranslationDSF.find(edge.key2());
@@ -49,6 +53,7 @@ TranslationRecovery::TranslationRecovery(
       sameTranslationDSF.merge(key1, key2);
     }
   }
+  // Use only those edges for which two keys have a distinct root in the DSFMap.
   for (const auto &edge : relativeTranslations) {
     Key key1 = sameTranslationDSF.find(edge.key1());
     Key key2 = sameTranslationDSF.find(edge.key2());
@@ -56,6 +61,7 @@ TranslationRecovery::TranslationRecovery(
     relativeTranslations_.emplace_back(key1, key2, edge.measured(),
                                        edge.noiseModel());
   }
+  // Store the DSF map for post-processing results.
   sameTranslationNodes_ = sameTranslationDSF.sets();
 }
 
@@ -106,9 +112,13 @@ Values TranslationRecovery::run(const double scale) const {
   LevenbergMarquardtOptimizer lm(graph, initial, params_);
   Values result = lm.optimize();
 
-  for (const auto &sameTranslationKeys : sameTranslationNodes_) {
-    Key optimizedKey = sameTranslationKeys.first;
-    std::set<Key> duplicateKeys = sameTranslationKeys.second;
+  // Nodes that were not optimized are stored in sameTranslationNodes_ as a map
+  // from a key that was optimized to keys that were not optimized. Iterate over
+  // map and add results for keys not optimized.
+  for (const auto &optimizedAndDuplicateKeys : sameTranslationNodes_) {
+    Key optimizedKey = optimizedAndDuplicateKeys.first;
+    std::set<Key> duplicateKeys = optimizedAndDuplicateKeys.second;
+    // Add the result for the duplicate key if it does not already exist.
     for (const Key duplicateKey : duplicateKeys) {
       if (result.exists(duplicateKey)) continue;
       result.insert<Point3>(duplicateKey, result.at<Point3>(optimizedKey));
diff --git a/tests/testTranslationRecovery.cpp b/tests/testTranslationRecovery.cpp
index e4fbd9219..7260fd5af 100644
--- a/tests/testTranslationRecovery.cpp
+++ b/tests/testTranslationRecovery.cpp
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ TEST(TranslationRecovery, BAL) {
   // EXPECT_DOUBLES_EQUAL(0.0199833, actualError, 1e-5);
 }
 
-TEST(TranslationRecovery, TwoPointTest) {
+TEST(TranslationRecovery, TwoPoseTest) {
   // Create a dataset with 2 poses.
   // __      __
   // \/      \/
@@ -114,14 +114,14 @@ TEST(TranslationRecovery, TwoPointTest) {
   EXPECT_LONGS_EQUAL(1, graph.size());
 
   // Run translation recovery
-  const auto result = algorithm.run(/*scale=*/2.0);
+  const auto result = algorithm.run(/*scale=*/3.0);
 
   // Check result for first two translations, determined by prior
   EXPECT(assert_equal(Point3(0, 0, 0), result.at<Point3>(0)));
-  EXPECT(assert_equal(Point3(2, 0, 0), result.at<Point3>(1)));
+  EXPECT(assert_equal(Point3(3, 0, 0), result.at<Point3>(1)));
 }
 
-TEST(TranslationRecovery, ThreePointTest) {
+TEST(TranslationRecovery, ThreePoseTest) {
   // Create a dataset with 3 poses.
   // __      __
   // \/      \/
@@ -151,15 +151,15 @@ TEST(TranslationRecovery, ThreePointTest) {
   const auto graph = algorithm.buildGraph();
   EXPECT_LONGS_EQUAL(3, graph.size());
 
-  const auto result = algorithm.run(/*scale=*/2.0);
+  const auto result = algorithm.run(/*scale=*/3.0);
 
   // Check result
   EXPECT(assert_equal(Point3(0, 0, 0), result.at<Point3>(0)));
-  EXPECT(assert_equal(Point3(2, 0, 0), result.at<Point3>(1)));
-  EXPECT(assert_equal(Point3(1, -1, 0), result.at<Point3>(3)));
+  EXPECT(assert_equal(Point3(3, 0, 0), result.at<Point3>(1)));
+  EXPECT(assert_equal(Point3(1.5, -1.5, 0), result.at<Point3>(3)));
 }
 
-TEST(TranslationRecovery, TwoPointsAndZeroTranslation) {
+TEST(TranslationRecovery, ThreePosesIncludingZeroTranslation) {
   // Create a dataset with 3 poses.
   // __      __
   // \/      \/
@@ -188,15 +188,15 @@ TEST(TranslationRecovery, TwoPointsAndZeroTranslation) {
   EXPECT_LONGS_EQUAL(1, graph.size()); 
 
   // Run translation recovery
-  const auto result = algorithm.run(/*scale=*/2.0);
+  const auto result = algorithm.run(/*scale=*/3.0);
 
   // Check result
   EXPECT(assert_equal(Point3(0, 0, 0), result.at<Point3>(0)));
-  EXPECT(assert_equal(Point3(2, 0, 0), result.at<Point3>(1)));
-  EXPECT(assert_equal(Point3(2, 0, 0), result.at<Point3>(2)));
+  EXPECT(assert_equal(Point3(3, 0, 0), result.at<Point3>(1)));
+  EXPECT(assert_equal(Point3(3, 0, 0), result.at<Point3>(2)));
 }
 
-TEST(TranslationRecovery, ThreePointsAndZeroTranslation) {
+TEST(TranslationRecovery, FourPosesIncludingZeroTranslation) {
   // Create a dataset with 4 poses.
   // __      __
   // \/      \/
@@ -229,13 +229,13 @@ TEST(TranslationRecovery, ThreePointsAndZeroTranslation) {
   EXPECT_LONGS_EQUAL(3, graph.size());
 
   // Run translation recovery
-  const auto result = algorithm.run(/*scale=*/2.0);
+  const auto result = algorithm.run(/*scale=*/4.0);
 
   // Check result
   EXPECT(assert_equal(Point3(0, 0, 0), result.at<Point3>(0)));
-  EXPECT(assert_equal(Point3(2, 0, 0), result.at<Point3>(1)));
-  EXPECT(assert_equal(Point3(2, 0, 0), result.at<Point3>(2)));
-  EXPECT(assert_equal(Point3(1, -1, 0), result.at<Point3>(3)));
+  EXPECT(assert_equal(Point3(4, 0, 0), result.at<Point3>(1)));
+  EXPECT(assert_equal(Point3(4, 0, 0), result.at<Point3>(2)));
+  EXPECT(assert_equal(Point3(2, -2, 0), result.at<Point3>(3)));
 }
 
 /* ************************************************************************* */