{{Short description|Estonian linguist (born 1968)}} '''Anna Verschik''' ({{langx|ru|Анна Вершик|Anna Vershik}}; born 31 May 1968) is an Estonian linguist, professor at the Tallinn University. Her interests include social sciences and culture, philology and linguistics, in particular, Ethnolects; Estonian sociolinguistics (language contacts, language dynamics); Estonian-Russian language contacts (code switching, convergence, multilingual conversation); Yiddish in the Baltic States (dialectology, sociolinguistics, cultural contacts); Ukrainian sociolinguistics. She is also a translator from Ukrainian to Estonian.<ref name=etis>[https://www.etis.ee/CV/Anna_Verschik Anna Verschik], etis database</ref><ref name=pape>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090509075356/http://www.opleht.ee/Arhiiv/2007/23.03.07/elu/3.shtml Paljukeelne perekond], ''Õpetajate Leht'', 23 February 2007</ref>
==Biography== Anna Verschik was born in St. Petersburg to the family of the mathematician Anatoly Vershik of Jewish descent. Her family spent vacations in Estonia, Anna had become attacted to Estonian culture and learned Estonian language by herself. She moved to Estonia, and graduated from the University of Tartu (1986–1990) with the degree in Estonian philology. While at Tartu she also studied Yiddish and Jewish culture.<ref name=pape/> In 1995-1996 she undertook a one-semester study of Hebrew and Jewish culture at the University of Oxford{{cn|date=May 2026}} and received master's degree from the University of Tartu with the thesis "Multilingualism of Estonian Jews" in 1996.<ref>[https://www.etis.ee/portal/mentorships/display/4f74b617-75d7-4164-b2de-89f34e8b8b0b Eesti juutide mitmekeelsus], etis database</ref> She earned the Ph.D. from the University of Tartu with the thesis "Estonian Yiddish and its contacts with co-territorial languages" (supervided by {{ill|Tapani Harviainen|fi}}) in 2000.<ref>[https://www.etis.ee/portal/mentorships/display/0452174f-c67b-43b8-b753-46c4eaba376e Eesti jidiš ja selle kontaktid asukohamaa keeltega], etis database</ref> She was teaching at the Tallinn University since 2002. Before that she held teaching positions at other colleges and universities.<ref name=etis/>
==Books== *2025: ''Kas rabelen välja sellest tusast?'' ({{langx|uk|"Чи виберуся я з цієї журби"}}, “Will I Break Free from This Sorrow”), EKSA, a collection of translations of Ukrainian poetry into Estonian.<ref name=oza/> *2021: ''Multilingual practices in the Baltic countries''. Acta Universitatis Tallinnensis Humaniora. Tallinn: TLU Press, Tallinn University Press. {{ISBN|978-9985-58-898-7}} *2013: ''Õmblusteta kudumine = Seamless knitting'' Koolibri. {{ISBN|9789985031810}} **2015: Finnish translation: ''Saumattomat neuleet.'' Moraine. {{ISBN|9789522542373}} *2008: '' Emerging Bilingual Speech: From Monolingualism to Code-Copying'', Bloomsbury Publishing. {{ISBN|9781441164926}}
==Awards and recognition== Anna Verschik scholarly and literary awards include:<ref name=etis/> *2026: annual (for the year of 2025) literary prize of the Estonian Cultural Endowment for translating Ukrainian poetry, for her collection ''Kas rabelen välja sellest tusast?''.<ref>[https://www.kulka.ee/uudised/selgusid-kultuurkapitali-2025-aasta-preemiate-laureaadid-7 Selgusid Kultuurkapitali 2025. aasta preemiate laureaadid]</ref><ref>[https://hmh.news/en/26207/estonian-translator-anna-vershik-received-a-prestigious-literary-award-for-her-translation-of-ukrainian-poetry/ Estonian translator Anna Vershik received a prestigious literary award for her translation of Ukrainian poetry]</ref><ref name=oza>Оксана Заблоцька, [https://suspilne.media/culture/1252950-a-ne-mozu-ne-perekladati-anna-versik-zdobula-prestiznu-estonsku-nagorodu-za-pereklad-ukrainskoi-poezii/ "Я не можу не перекладати": Анна Вершік здобула престижну естонську нагороду за переклад української поезії ]</ref> *2025: {{ill|August Sang poetry translation award|et|August Sanga nimeline luuletõlke auhind}} for the translation of Yuliya Musakovska's poem "A magnolia blooms in a foreign garden" ({{langx|uk|"Цвіте магнолія в чужому саду"}}) from Ukrainian into Estonian, from the collection ''Kas rabelen välja sellest tusast?''.<ref name=etis/><ref>Яна Качковська, [https://suspilne.media/culture/1110970-na-premiu-z-perekladu-poezii-imeni-avgusta-sanga-nominovano-virs-ulii-musakovskoi/ На премію з перекладу поезії імені Августа Санга номіновано вірш Юлії Мусаковської]</ref>
==Personal== Anna Verschik is married to Estonian Hebraist {{ill|Jürnas Kokla|et}} and they have a daughter, Noemi (15 years in 2007).<ref name=pape/>
Outside the academy, her interests include knitting and other crafts and she regularly published her ideas in the ''Käsitöö'' ("Handicraft") magazine. Her book on the subject was translated in Finnish and she gives lessons on her methodology.<ref> Marika Juusu, [https://yu.ee/anna-verschik-opetab-kuduma/ Anna Verschik õpetab kuduma], December 20, 2016</ref> ==References== {{reflist}}
{{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Verschik, Anna}} Category:1968 births Category:Living people Category:Linguists from Estonia Category:Estonian translators Category:Academic staff of Tallinn University Category:Russian emigrants to Estonia Category:Estonian people of Jewish descent Category:University of Tartu alumni Category:Historians of Ashkenazi Jewry Category:People in knitting