Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Irene Orellana. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Irene, thanks for joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

The idea to start my own business began when I helped win a case a year after earning my MA in Forensic Linguistics. A CEO of a company (for privacy reasons, I can’t say which one) was looking for a forensic linguist to help him deal with defamatory and threatening anonymous letters. Someone had been sending emails to his stockholders, accusing him of being a “liar” and a “thief.” My client informed me that there were four potential ex-employees who might be behind the six anonymous letters.

For my first case, I was tasked with analyzing two years’ worth of emails from four ex-employees. Since two linguists are better than one, I enlisted the help of one of my classmates from Hofstra University to analyze the emails with me. In this form of analysis, the emphasis lies on the consistency and distinctiveness of linguistic features. To clarify, in linguistics, a feature is any characteristic that can be used to categorize or classify a phoneme or word—anything noticeable in the discourse that can be identified as a pattern. Examples include run-on sentences, nonstandard word choices, abbreviations, specific punctuation marks, nonstandard spellings (e.g., he rote that), contractions, topic choices, and hedging or mitigating language like “well,” “um,” “just,” etc.

We worked on this case for a couple of months. A week before the due date, I fell into a rabbit hole. The word fraudster was used only once in one of the anonymous letters, and it wasn’t used anywhere else. Because I had never encountered that word before, I decided to research its etymology. That led me to a research paper on British-English grammar. By the end of my research and after revisiting the emails, I discovered that only one ex-employee consistently exhibited prominent British-English grammar in their writing. Fortunately, the anonymous letters also showed British-English grammar influences.

We finished our expert report and sent it in. The next time I heard from my client, it was through an email stating they had won the case and praising us for our work. That moment gave me the brilliant idea to start my own business.

Currently, not many people know what a forensic linguist is or does, so the possibilities are endless. To my knowledge, there is no other forensic linguistics consultation firm in Los Angeles, so I took it upon myself to establish one. Since then, I’ve handled a handful of cases, each of which has taught me something new. Some lessons were hard, but none significant enough to deter me from continuing in a field where I am an expert.

Irene, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a Forensic Linguist trained at Hofstra University, with experience in research and analysis. I received my Linguistics Bachelors at Cal State Long Beach in 2018, where I worked as a research assistant in the Phonology Lab. I received my MA in Forensic Linguistics at Hofstra university in New York. My capstone project during grad school focused on “The Language of Persuasion Used by the Mexican Cartel,” where I compared the persuasive language of the Italian Mafia, ISIS, Cults, Nazis, the January 6th capital attack, and the Mexican Cartel. I have experience using Corpora, AntConc, and PRAAT; a speech analysis computer software; to analyze data sets and conduct research. I also have worked as an intern for the Innocence Project during my last year at Hofstra, where I conducted authorship analysis on capital murder cases. During my time as an intern, applying forensic linguistics skills was needed to conduct authorship analysis in the cases. After graduating I have worked in multiple sectors where I have been able to use my analytical skills.

At my business, I provide expert linguistic analysis for legal cases, corporate investigations, and personal disputes. My work includes examining texts to identify authors, detecting plagiarism, and assessing language used in contracts or other critical documents.

What sets me apart is my passion for uncovering the truth through meticulous linguistic analysis and my ability to communicate complex findings in a clear, accessible way. I’m proud of my ability to provide a unique service in a field that’s still growing in public awareness, particularly in a city like Los Angeles.

The thing I want potential clients to know is that language leaves clues. Whether it’s a single unusual word choice or recurring patterns in communication, these clues can make all the difference in resolving a case. I am dedicated to providing insightful, ethical, and impactful analysis that helps my clients achieve their goals.

Ultimately, I believe that forensic linguistics has the power to solve mysteries, protect reputations, and bring clarity to complex situations. It’s my mission to continue growing this discipline and making its benefits accessible to those who need it most.

Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?

Funding my forensic linguistics consultation firm was a journey of creativity and determination. When I first decided to launch the business, I knew I wanted to minimize debt and rely on savings as much as possible. .

I started by tapping into my savings, accumulated over years of budgeting during graduate school and my early career. To supplement this, I freelanced on the side, taking smaller linguistics-related gigs to build my professional reputation and save up. I also cut costs by initially working from home and investing only in essentials, like software.

It wasn’t easy, but piecing together my startup capital taught me resourcefulness and resilience—traits that have carried over into running my business every day.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

The best source of clients for my business have been Upwork. Although I do come across some clients that are difficult, Upwork asa third party has intervened when needed. Clients are able to see examples of my previous work and contact me before making any form of commitment.

Creating a website has also been a great help. Potential clients are able to view a summary of my old cases, as well as view any interviews I have done.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.linguainvestigations.com
• Instagram: lingua.investigations
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/irene-orellana/