The UMass Amherst Translation Center, in collaboration with the Massachusetts Center for the Book, will co-host “Celebrate Translators: Reading and Recognizing Translation in Massachusetts,” a celebration of Massachusetts literary translators and professor emeritus Edwin Gentzler’s enduring dedication to and continued support of translation, Thursday, Sept. 28, from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at the Translation Center, located in the lower level of the Herter Hall Annex.

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Gentzler directed the Translation Center, founded in 1979, from 1994-2015, while he was also a professor in the Comparative Literature Program. During that time, he balanced teaching and advising students with research projects, while guiding the Translation Center as it grew and provided language services in many languages to a wide variety of individuals and organizations in the Commonwealth and beyond.

Now, Gentzler has made a generous commitment to the Translation Center that will lead to its renaming as the Edwin Gentzler Translation Center. The gift funds may be used for initiatives that mitigate discrimination based on language including, but not limited to, supporting mentorship of undergraduate and graduate students, resident mentors and workshops with professionals and scholars in business, government and nonprofit sectors. The fund supports the founding principle of the Translation Center as it pertains to ensuring civil rights in the context of translation and particularly languages of limited diffusion.

The gift is timely, as Gov. Maura A. Healey recently signed Executive Order No. 615 to improve language access across state government. “The Executive Order aims to make the delivery of services and resources more accessible and equitable for residents with limited English proficiency by requiring executive department agencies to develop Language Access Plans,” a Sept. 13 press release from the governor’s office stated.

The Massachusetts Center for the Book has also offered additional support for translation and translators. The Massachusetts Book Awards have been recognizing significant works of literature written or illustrated by current Commonwealth residents since the year 2000, accepting submissions in fiction, nonfiction, poetry and children’s/young adult literature. The 23rd Annual Massachusetts Book Awards saw the addition of a new category – translated literature – after discussions between the Massachusetts Center for the Book’s now-retired executive director, Sharon Shaloo, and Regina Galasso, current director of the Translation Center and associate professor in Spanish and Portuguese Studies Program at UMass Amherst, about the vibrancy of translated literature in the world today. This category allows the Center for the Book to highlight the contributions Massachusetts translators make to world literature and make books written in other languages more visible to Massachusetts readers. A book is now eligible if the author or the translator is a current Commonwealth resident. The number of submissions in a given year will determine if one or more books will be honored.

These two initiatives will be discussed at the event on Sept. 28 to highlight the pioneering vision of translation support in Massachusetts, while translators Catherine Ciepiela, Michael Favala Goldman and Marc Vincenz will read from their recent English translations.

The event is free and open to the public and a reception with snacks and beverages will follow.