Arika Okrent

Okrent was born in Chicago to parents of Polish and Transylvanian descent.

She was fascinated by languages beginning at an early age, which is what made her pursue a career in linguistics.

After graduating from Carleton College in 1992,[2] she left for Hungary to teach there for a year.

[10] She is a regular contributor on linguistics and language topics to the online magazine Mental Floss.

[12] She can communicate in English, Hungarian, American Sign Language and Klingon,[6] and has a good passive command of Esperanto.