抄録
This paper aims to explore how the "point of departure" in a sentence is chosen in
translation between Chinese and Japanese texts and vice versa. The notion of
"point of departure" is defined in systemic-functional grammar as the clause-initial
ideational element, which is generally thought to be the theme. However, in Chinese and
Japanese, the point of departure is not necessarily the theme because of subject ellipsis
and topic chaining. Therefore, this paper reports on how the point of departure is
changed or preserved in translation, and what influences translators' decision making in
choosing the point of departure in the process of translation. The paper also investigates
if there are any systemic tendencies in the observed changes and/or preservations of the
point of departure in translated texts.
