What is the difference between Looking to those who claim they are not hurt does not erase the pain of those who claim they are. and Pointing to those who claim they are not hurt does not erase the pain of those who claim they are. ?Feel free to just provide example sentences.

If I would like to say "Even if we focus on those who claim they are not hurt", which has more similar nuance "Looking to" or "Pointing to"?

Answers

la_vida_local

2 February

English (US)

@tomofbk Hello. I think you mean “pointing out.” You could also say “referring to”

Pointing out those who claim they are not hurt does not erase the pain of those who claim they are.
Referring to people who claim they are not hurt does not erase the pain of those who claim they are.

These both mean “to focus on” or “to bring attention to”

Highly-rated answerer

Gezzza

3 February

English (UK)
English (US)

"Pointing to" in this context would be literal finger pointing... Doubtful that's what you want to say. "Looking to" means you are bringing up the topic of. It means "let's consider those who claim..."

"Pointing out" however is different and could be said in this context, like la_vida suggested, however the meaning is a bit different. In your context, "looking to" works best

Highly-rated answerer

tomofbk

4 February

Japanese

@la_vida_local Hello. Thank you very much for always. In my reply to Gezzza, please let me summarize my comment on your explanation. This is because explanations of both you and Gezzza are mutually related.

la_vida_local

4 February

English (US)

@tomofbk Thanks for telling us the whole story! I always appreciate your careful analysis. Nuance matters so much to speaking fluently.

Highly-rated answerer

tomofbk

5 February

Japanese

@Gezzza >"Pointing to" in this context would be literal finger pointing... Doubtful that's what you want to say.

This is the very questionable point what I had in mind.

In fact, "Pointing to those who claim they are not hurt does not erase the pain of those who claim they are. " was the phrase introduced in a news paper for English learners in Japan.

I felt kind of discomfort with the Japanese translation of the phrase because it has the nuance like "Even if we focus on" , even though I thought "pointing to" means "finger pointing" as you said.

That's why I questioned the difference between "looking to" and "pointing to."

At the beginning, I thought the writer mistook "pointing out" for "pointing to". Even if so, I still had kind of discomfort because "point out" refers to "To specifically address important points, things that need attention, shortcomings and negligence, etc.", according to my English - Japanese dictionary.

As la_vida_local says, I could say "pointing out", but I think "referring to" or "looking to" is better in this case.