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I know what both mean and are used for, but when I look at my reference materials, the former is often used to express the same thing as the latter. Are details to this that I'm not getting?

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    when I look at my reference materials, the former is often itself to express the same thing as the latter -- 例文をいくつか見せていただければ・・
    – chocolate ♦
    Commented Sep 4, 2018 at 1:53
  • One example I saw was 駅まで走っていきます being translated as "I'm running to the station" and 経済を勉強していきます being translated as "I study economics"
    – Roy Fuentes
    Commented Sep 5, 2018 at 10:42
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    「駅まで走っていきます」「経済を勉強していきます」は、 「駅まで走っています」「経済を勉強しています」と意味が違いますね。。。
    – chocolate ♦
    Commented Sep 6, 2018 at 9:06
  • Roy, the 「て」 in 「走っていきます」 is equivalent to "by", as in the method you will use to achieve something. On the otherhand, the 「て」 in 「勉強していきます」 is as I explained in my answer. Confusing, eh?
    – Halfway Dillitante
    Commented Sep 11, 2018 at 1:27

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I will assume by 「ていく」 you do not mean "Do something and leave".

When you are 「ている」, you are doing it now. No reference to the future.

When you will 「ていく」, you will do it from now, from this point on.

So,

  1. 「ていく」implies continued effort, where as 「ている」 is only about what you are doing now.

  2. 「ていく」doesn't necessarily imply that you weren't doing it before. It depends on the context. (i.e.「これからも引き続き工場の安全を確保するために全力を尽くして行きたいと思っております。」= "We will continue to work hard to maintain safety at our factories.")

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