Month: December 2018

Did you know that there is more than one method of court
reporting? Depending on which region of the country you practice in, you might
think a certain type of court reporter is “normal.”

In military courtrooms and throughout the South, it’s not
uncommon to see voice writers.  In most
other areas of the country, stenotype reporters make up the vast majority of
court reporters. Increasingly, electronic (digital) court reporters are joining
the landscape throughout the country.

No matter their method, court reporters are charged with
capturing and creating an accurate, verbatim record of the proceedings and are held
to the same code of ethics. National professional organizations provide
certification testing and continuing education for their members.

1. Stenotype
reporters use phonetic shorthand and a specialized keyboard to capture the
proceedings. A computer-aided transcription program then translates the
shorthand into English, which the reporter edits and proofreads to create the
verbatim record.

2. Voice writers
dictate the proceedings verbatim into a Stenomask, which is connected to a
digital recording device. There are large masks, which cover the reporter’s
nose, and mini masks, which only cover their mouth. They are trained to speak
in a low voice – not a whisper – at such a level that the recording equipment
picks it up but others in the room cannot hear them. The digital file is either
translated using voice recognition technology or transcribed to create the
final transcript.

3. Electronic court
reporters use specialized software and high-quality audio-visual equipment
to record testimony. The software allows them to record each speaker’s audio
feed on a separate track to ensure complete accuracy of the transcript.
Electronic reporters also take contemporaneous notes of the proceedings within
the software, which are then linked to that spot in the audio record.

Some attorneys or judges prefer one method over another, but
when it comes to the finished product, the certified transcript, one method
isn’t more reliable or accurate than another.

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