Mara nyingi, maneno "recognize" na "identify" hutumiwa kwa kubadilishana, lakini yana maana tofauti kidogo. "Recognize" inamaanisha kutambua kitu au mtu ambacho/ambaye tayari unamfahamu. Unapotambua, unakumbuka kitu kutoka zamani. "Identify," kwa upande mwingine, inamaanisha kutambua kitu au mtu kwa kuangalia sifa zake, mara nyingi kwa mara ya kwanza. Unapotambua, unafafanua kitu au mtu.

Hebu tuangalie mifano:

• Mfano 1: Recognize

  • Kiingereza: I recognized my teacher from across the street.
  • Kiswahili: Nilimtambua mwalimu wangu kutoka ng'ambo ya barabara. (I recognized my teacher from the other side of the street).

  Katika mfano huu, mwandishi tayari anamfahamu mwalimu wake; anamtambua kwa kuona tu.

• Mfano 2: Identify

  • Kiingereza: The police asked the witnesses to identify the thief from a lineup.
  • Kiswahili: Polisi waliwaomba mashahidi wamtambue mwizi kutoka katika mstari wa watu. (The police asked the witnesses to identify the thief from a lineup).

  Hapa, mashahidi wanapaswa kutambua mwizi kwa kuangalia sifa zake ili kumtofautisha na watu wengine. Hawajawahi kumwona hapo awali.

• Mfano 3: Recognize

  • Kiingereza: I recognized the melody immediately.
  • Kiswahili: Niliitambua melodi hiyo mara moja. (I recognized that melody immediately).

• Mfano 4: Identify

  • Kiingereza: Can you identify the problem with this computer?
  • Kiswahili: Unaweza kutambua tatizo lililopo kwenye kompyuta hii? (Can you identify the problem with this computer?).

Katika mifano hii, tofauti inakuwa dhahiri zaidi. Katika mifano ya "recognize," utambuzi unatokana na uzoefu wa awali. Katika mifano ya "identify," kitendo kinajumuisha kupata taarifa zaidi ili kutambua kitu au mtu.

Happy learning!