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In addition to the grammatical function of connecting the preceding and subsequent texts, conjunctions also enable readers and listeners to predict the subsequent texts. Previous conjunction-related studies primarily focused on the clear functional distinctions of conjunctions in terms of grammar. In this study, we focused on the "SOSHITE" conjunction that elementary Japanese learns are likely to encounter early. Our objective is to investigate how the Japanese "SOSHITE" conjunction tends to be applied in Chinese translations. In terms of Japanese grammar, "SOSHITE" has the continuation and listing functions. So it is generally translated to "then" or "next" that indicate a connection as well as "and," "also," or "moreover" that indicate a list in Chinese translations. However, conjunctions are often omitted in Chinese articles and the same applies to Chinese translations. However, previous studies never explored how a conjunction is chosen to be omitted or translated. In this study, we focused on the "SOSHITE" conjunction. We have investigated the Chinese translation tendencies for "SOSHITE" in two aspects: (1) the function of "SOSHITE" itself in a sentence; and (2) the effects that a "SOSHITE" has towards the texts before and after it. The objective was to explore the literal translation, free translation, or omission tendencies for "SOSHITE" in Chinese translations. In this study, we selected the fairy tale " Night of the Milky Way Railroad " that uses a significant number of "SOSHITE" as the subject and compared the Chinese translations by six translators. The result indicated that "SOSHITE" tended to be omitted in Chinese translations. We found that when the texts before and after a "SOSHITE" described a subject consistently, the "SOSHITE" tended to be omitted in the Chinese translations. If the texts after the "SOSHITE" have adverbs or nouns that indicate time, the translators tended to combine the "SOSHITE" with the adverbs or nouns to form a concise word. In addition, if the texts after the "SOSHITE" express strong emotions, the Chinese translations tended to translate the "SOSHITE" in order to emphasize the development of the texts.
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