大人 (アダルト)

[frecklegirl]

Often, there will be a kanji word in a title of something, or the body of the text, that has a furigana reading that differs from its normal reading.

If you are rendering such a thing into romaji, would you include both the normal reading AND the indicated furigana reading, or simply only the furigana reading?

Examples: The manga/anime series Hana Yori Dango (see Wikipedia, I'm not allowed to post links yet), in which the last character is normally read "Danshi" but has furigana indicating a "Dango" reading. So you always see "Hana Yori Dango" and not "Hana Yori Danshi (Dango)." This is correct to do, yes?

My main question has to do with this (it's a band's album title):

大人(アダルト)

Normally that would be read "Otona." But the katakana reading is "Adaruto." Would you write it "Otona (Adaruto)", or simply "Adaruto"?

I know what my position is (simply "Adaruto") and I'm fairly convinced of it, but I'm having a devil of a time getting this across to other fans of the band, who insist on giving both readings ("Otona (Adaruto)") and I can't fathom why.

Input, please.

 

[Anatoli]

I come across this but, sorry I don't have an answer, it's not quite correct, IMHO - usually it's a Japanese word and the furigana is just a transliteration of an English word, like adaruto (=adult). Foreign words are usually only written in katakana but kanji bear the meaning, so both "otona" and "adaruto" mean the same thing - adult(s). 大人 makes more sense to Japanese but whether you read it as otona or adaruto, it's your choice.

I saw furigana クロスカルチャ over 異文化 (ibunka)

 

[Flaminius]

Kanjis or strings of kanjis can get unconventional furigana's based on Japanese, English or any other language, except for Sino-Chinese.
E.g., 服む
The Japanese word for taking medicine is nomu, usually written as 飲む. Here 服 is chosen over 飲 and gets の as furigana, since 飲 is drinking liquid. This use of 服 seems to be affected by a Sino-Japanese term, 服用 (dosing).

What should be chosen as the source of English transcription certainly depends on the purpose of transcription. If you want to show the reader how the word is pronounced, then adaruto is fine. When read out loud, the provided furigana is supposed to supersede more regular readings.

 

[I_like_my_TV]

大人(アダルト)
The word アダルトas used here doesn't appear to be intended as a furigana, but rather a stylistic addition (in the Japanese fashion), so you'd include both otona and adaruto if you read the title aloud.

 

[cheshire]

Greatly put, I_like_my_TV. In other words, it's one of Japanese rhetorical styles. 「漢」と書いて「おとこ」というふりがなを振るのはその例だね。
漢の例は「漢語とやまと言葉のかけあわせ」の例ですが、その一方と外来語との組み合わせもできます。