Helen R. Lane was a renowned translator of Spanish, Portuguese, French, and Italian literary works into English. She translated works by numerous noted authors, including Jorge Amado, Marguerite Duras, Mario Vargas Llosa, Juan Carlos Onetti, and Octavio Paz. She received the PEN Translation Prize in 1975 and 1985. Alternating Current, Lane’s translation of Octavio Paz, shared the 1974 U.S. National Book Award in the Translation category.