Abstract
How to deal with proper names is one of the most divisive topics in the debate between theoreticians and practitioners of translation. At present, at least on a theoretical level, the prevailing opinion is that names should not be translated, but even a quite superficial analysis of published texts shows a very different and varied reality. The present paper examines four Spanish translations of Dashiell Hammett’s 1930 novel The Maltese Falcon in order to identify possible variations in the strategies applied in the translation of anthrophonymies in the novel.