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I don't know if it's even called ateji in this case and maybe there's another
name for this stylistic device? But I wonder how to translate (to English)
custom ateji made by author. For example when furigana indicates something
from context, but is not official reading, even as ateji. I don't remember
exact examples, but I saw this many times. Only last time I recall is
something like: 自分の娘 with name in furigana (although 自分 works with first two
letters of the name, rest is totally different). Meaning is the same, but I
wonder if it's even possible to translate it somehow to convey both nouns.
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2016-03-15T11:40:39.737
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2016-03-16T20:58:27.503
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question
translation ateji
Custom ateji (?) made by authors
Translating is always a challenge. More so when typographical conventions like
this aren't shared between the source and target languages.

If you're translating for an audience that is expected to know about the
Japanese language and its writing conventions, you might try adding a
[ruby]{annotation} to the word(s) in question.

Alternatively, you could add a comment (parenthetically, to provide the
additional sense or context) immediately following the relevant word(s).

Or perhaps find some other means of conveying the overlap in meaning --
perhaps by choosing a word from another language, such as the borrowed Russian
terms _droog_ (друг = "friend") and _gulliver_ (голова́ = "head") used in _A
Clockwork Orange_ , or by May King a deliberate Miss Spelling (easier with
names, where spellings tend to be a bit more fluid anyway).
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2016-03-16T20:58:27.503
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2016-03-16T20:58:27.503
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answer