May 16, 2017 01:11
6 yrs ago
31 viewers *
English term

refer to

Non-PRO English Other Other
For further information on the shops please refer to the Web:
*Franchise shops
1 shop in Gunma Prefecture
13 shops in Ibaraki Prefecture

Is "refer to" in the 1st line OK? How about "see"?
I would like to know the difference between them.
Thank you for your advice.

Discussion

Mitsuko Yoshida (asker) May 21, 2017:
Thank you very much, Brigittel!
BrigitteHilgner May 16, 2017:
please visit our website standard phrase - that's what I would choose

Responses

+5
4 hrs
Selected

please see our website

Generally, we wouldn't say 'the Web' like that — it would more usually be 'the Internet', or else we would talke about a 'website'.

Saying "refer to the Web" is a bit like saying "refer to the Library" — and you simply wouldn't say that in natural EN: you would go to the Library and refer to some specific information in it (e.g. perhaps a book or directory).

I would only say 'refer to' if I was going on to say to WHAT one should refer: page 6 / a particular book, etc. But in any case, it is pretty unusual to see 'refer to' used in reference to all things Internet — though once on a website, one might find an insturction to 'refer to the 'Contacts' page for our address'

It is not in fact totally clear what you are really trying to say: do you actually mean 'please see our [specific] website'? Or do you mean 'go and look it up [soemwhere] on the Internet'?

Generally, I wouldn't use 'the web' in this way, since that strictly speaking refers to the technical infrastructure on which the Internet resides.

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Note added at 4 heures (2017-05-16 05:57:13 GMT)
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All credit, of course, to Port City, who was the first to suggest this in their peer comment.

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Note added at 5 heures (2017-05-16 06:27:36 GMT)
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Asker:
You can always use the 'discussion' area to add further information or a correction to your question.

If you were trying to say "please refer to the web [+ url]", then I'm afraid that wouldn't be at all natural in EN; to start with, we would call it either a 'website' or just a 'site', but NEVER 'the web'; but if you are giving the actual URL, then you don't really need to say anything at all: "please refer to www.mysite.com" — but I still maintain that 'see' or 'visit' is more idiomatic in the friendly and informal world of the Internet; using an unusually formal term might stand out with an unwarranted contrast compared to the style of the rest of your text.
Note from asker:
Web is my mistake. 🙇 Web (website) is follwed by its URL. I tried to correct, but it is too late. Thank you.
Peer comment(s):

agree Terry Richards
23 mins
Thanks, Terry!
agree writeaway : see, go to, visit etc. refer to? don't think so /not in this marketing context. Björn's examples show a more formal context where people are asked to look at info for reference.
2 hrs
Thanks, W/A! Well, can't say I've personally EVER seen it, and it just "sounds wrong" to me.
agree B D Finch
4 hrs
Thanks, B!
agree Björn Vrooman : Plenty(!) of UK examples: "Please refer to the NHS Choices website http://www.nhs.uk/[...].aspx for information on" http://content.digital.nhs - IMO, point is that it's a business and the websites are not treated as mere sources of info (cf "consult").
11 hrs
Thanks, Björn!
agree acetran
1 day 10 hrs
Thanks, Ace!
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thank you very much!"
+5
1 hr

see/refer to

no difference so take your pick

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Note added at 1 hr (2017-05-16 02:23:18 GMT)
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"refer to" is a little bit more formal but "see" is ok
Peer comment(s):

agree Yasutomo Kanazawa
2 hrs
thank you
agree Port City : You can also say "please visit our website".
2 hrs
would work too
neutral Tony M : I think this is actually an oversimplification that will not really be helpful to Asker.
3 hrs
hmm, not so sure
agree Jack Doughty
3 hrs
thanks Jack
agree Sheila Wilson : They're synonymous in this context. KudoZ wasn't designed to give free English lessons to those editing English, after all.
5 hrs
thanks Sheila
neutral writeaway : refer to our website? 100% sure about that?
5 hrs
would be ok and I don't see why not in this case
agree acetran
1 day 13 hrs
thanks acetran
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