Should I translate proper nouns?
 

I'm living with a host family during my stay in Spain and I am trying to put together a photo album to show them. Right now I am writing short captions en espanol so that I won't forget tricky vocabulary when I show it to them.

My question is: Should I translate proper nouns such as Grand Canyon? If so, how would you translate it?

The current trend in translating is to not translate proper nouns, especially names. But my personal opinion is when the proper noun in the original language is not well know in the target language, and it carries some explanation of what the item is, I translate it.

In any case, Gran Cañón is an accepted and established translation for Grand Canyon, so you might as well use it. :)

My opinion.
If it's a famous know place, like "el gran cañón del Colorado" or "el parque de Yellowstone", it's clearer in Spanish, because they "must" already know them. If it's not so common, like "XXXX Beach ", "Yosemite Park", " XXXX statue" , you can leave it in english.

Translating Proper Nouns
 

It is perfectly correct to translate some proper nouns (places, proper names, cities, countries): Pan De Azucar = Sugar Loaf; the Grand Canyon, El Gran Cañón del Colorado; Christopher Columbus, Cristobal Colón; Bethlehem, Belén; Spain, España.

Very true.