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Court Reporting &
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Court
reporters don't just work in courtrooms, but perhaps they are best known
from coverage of highly publicized trials like the O.J. Simpson criminal
trial. The two reporters assigned to that case provided both daily print
transcripts and real-time transcripts appearing on courtroom computer
screens. The "courtroom of the future" is already here!
Court reporters take down testimony and other spoken
matter (at speeds of 225 words per minute and more!) using machine shorthand,
in which the keys of the machine are depressed to encode for syllables,
entire words, and even entire phrases. It's somewhat like keyboarding
but much faster, with fewer keys so that the reporter never leaves the
"home row."
After the matter is taken down, it can be read back by the reporter or
edited to produce a printed transcript. In fact, with some systems, an
(unedited) transcript can be printed on the spot!
Our court reporting graduates can find rewarding
careers in freelance and official reporting
and in captioning.
The National Court Reporters Association has underwritten a short program about careers in court reporting and captioning, to learn more please click on the link below: http://www.ncraonline.org/about/video/pbs/index.shtml
The average income in the field of court reporting
is around $62,000 per year*. Income varies, however,
depending on a number of factors. Official (courtroom) reporters get salary
and benefits plus some compensation per page, regulated by law in most
jurisdictions, for transcripts of cases on appeal. Freelance reporters
get all or most of their income from transcripts of depositions and other
out-of-court proceedings, charging what the market will bear in most jurisdictions.
Thus income depends on the number of pages transcribed at rates which
vary with the circumstances (expert testimony and rush jobs earn more)
and how many attorneys order transcript copies.
No one can predict the future with certainty, but one
thing is certain: The future will arrive tomorrow, on schedule.
Some see audio/video recording as a threat to the court reporter, but
when courts try it, problems--transcript backlog, readback for juries,
and even "gaps" where testimony is irrevocably lost--force them
to turn back to court reporters.
Some have predicted that computer and voice recognition
(VR) technology will replace the court reporter. It hasn't happened for
a very good reason: VR must be "trained" to its user and will
not "understand" unfamiliar speakers. Eventually reporters may
use VR to edit transcripts, just as they now incorporate computer technology:
Computer-aided transcription (CAT) makes real-time transcripts and captioning
possible.
Our court reporting students learn state-of-the-art machine shorthand theory and then embark on a program of speedbuilding to 225 words per minute, compatible with the standards of the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) for their Registered Professional Reporter (RPR) certification.
But the profession of court reporting requires
much more than just speed. During the speedbuilding process, students
receive training in English grammar, spelling, and punctuation; medical,
legal, and technical terminology and concepts; real-time computer technology;
keyboarding; RPR preparation; and, just prior to graduation, court and
freelance externships. Our top-notch faculty includes graduates of such
prestigious schools as Yale and Dartmouth.
NCRA
Video Presentation... view this short video about Court Reporting
careers!
