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I think there might be two different basic strategies that could help you out of this:

1) just work on actually transposing whatever you're reading by a fixed interval. If you get fluent in doing this, you'll get past your "page says f but it sounds d" discomfort.

2) practice reading C clefs (+ octave transposition). You play a C on a clarinet in B-flat, it sounds a B-flat. So, imagine instead of a treble clef, it were a tenor clef (but 8va higher) instead. That third-space treble-clef C is now a tenor-clef B (you have to add the accidentals).

In either case, it is probably matter of just getting used to it, and that means spending time with it, so no truly "easy" answer for you.

I'm actually quite good at transposing by any arbitrary interval (by ear), and can also play music both from sight reading and from ear. The problem is I have both an instinctive link between sounds and fingerings (or keys on a piano when I play that) and between the notes in the score and the keys they map to on the instrument. Alas I didn't encounter c clefs until rather late in my musical training (they weren't relevant for any of the instruments I played) and by that time I didn't have a compelling reason to practice reading scores. I'm adulthood I more or less only play solo piano so transposition is a moot point.

> If I could just focus on the finger positions without the distraction of the score, that would help me.

Isn't this exactly what most guitar players do? Tablature is used instead of traditional staves.

Classical and jazz guitar are written in traditional notation. Classical notation has implied positions on the fretboard - first, fifth, seventh, etc. Tablature is useful, but it is not musical notation. Its expressiveness is so limited that many tablature sites add various symbols borrowed from standard. Indeed, go on almost any guitar forum on the net and you'll find a beginner asking about some notation found on a tablature. There's a great deal more to performing on the guitar than knowing where to put the fingers of the fretting hand.

There are also special notations on tabs for hammer ons, slides, harmonics, bends, percussive rhythm guitar.

I would classify this as musical notation.

It's hard to read, but once you know it it makes sense. If someone doesn't know the genre (rock, funk, metal etc) then it makes no sense.

In traditional musical notation:

hammer-on & pull-off: slur, notation is a curved line, sometimes dashed connecting notes.

slide: notated as legato, glissando, portamento, all different, in subtle ways, to "slide"

harmonic: notated in classical guitar with a diamond-shaped head.

percussive is tambor

bend: notated using an angled line between the noteheads at the start and end.

All those tab notations are borrowed from traditional notation. And yes, there are classical guitar pieces that use all these techniques. see e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pbc2yDvt8RM

> The mental link between specific finger positions and specific tones / notes on the score, is one that causes me untold issues with transposing instruments.

Yes! I quit tenor and alto sax in favor of C melody. And I learned euphonium before trumpet so I just can’t see a Bb but call it C. Not at speed anyway.