A career as a court reporter can be so fulfilling. However, you need to undergo in-depth training to attain the right skills and graduate as a certified court reporter. Professional stenographers must possess fast typing skills and have a range of vocabulary at their fingertips. 

With that said, here are a few helpful tips for becoming successful in this field.

Expand your vocabulary

Mastering the use of legal terms and medical phrases is the most important skill in court reporting. You can expand your vocabulary by reading more books, using a dictionary or thesaurus, playing word games, or downloading an app. You should also stay up to date with the latest news to pick up new terms. 

Improve your typing skills and speed

Court reporting entails typing phonetic words quickly and accurately. Moreover, court reporters normally type using advanced stenography machines, which may be complex to use at first. For this reason, it is important to practice your typing skills and speed to get familiar with how to use a stenograph appropriately. Ideally, your typing speed should be about 225 words per minute.

Be a good listener

The accuracy of your reports and transcripts depends on your listening skills. You should be a good listener to be able to capture all the words accurately without disrupting court proceedings. You may request the respondent to clarify or repeat their statement but doing so more often may lead to unnecessary delays.

Always keep a notebook

There’s no shame if you don’t know how to pronounce or spell some words. After all, even the best court reporters usually have challenges spelling and typing out various words. What you do to improve your ability is what matters. You can start by keeping a notebook, where you will be jotting down words that you don’t know. You can then practice typing these words during your free time.

Mind your posture

As a court reporter, you will be spending most of your time typing and creating transcripts. Unfortunately, sitting behind a desk for long hours might have adverse effects on your back and neck. 

You can avoid these problems by ensuring that you sit in the correct position. Your posture should be up straight with both of your feet flat. You should position the keyboard in such a manner that your forearms are parallel to the floor. Remember to stretch your muscles after work to relieve tension and avert cramps.

Use available resources

Many court reporting schools offer their students a variety of free resources to use in order to sharpen their skills and improve their competence. You should maximize these resources while they are still available since you might not find them easily after graduating. Remember to ask your tutors as many questions as possible and get advice from experienced reporters to help hone your skills.

Join a support group

Any profession is a journey, and you need all the support to make it as a certified court reporter. Your support system should include your teachers, schoolmates, family, friends, counselors, and working court reporters.

Depositions are legally binding, meaning all witnesses must provide information about a particular case. Moreover, attorneys from both sides need to know what all witnesses will say during court proceedings in order to prepare their defense accordingly. 

It is therefore important to prepare your client for deposition way in advance. This will help them know what to expect, and avoid feeling intimidated by the opposing counsel.

Here are six points you need to know about preparing a first-time deponent for depositions:

What is a deposition?

A deposition is simply a testimony provided by a witness out of court in a civil lawsuit. The witness or deponent will have to answer various questions directed to them by an attorney. The interrogating lawyers use these question and answer sessions to gather as much information as they can from the witness to help them prepare for their cases.

Depositions are normally used to establish what a witness knows about a particular case. The information obtained can also be used during the trial to ask the witness why their statement conflicts with what was said during the deposition. Letting your client know about depositions in advance can help make them comfortable and confident about the entire process.

What should your client wear during a deposition?

A deposition is similar to a job interview. This means your client should wear decent clothes and avoid anything casual. Ideally, the deponent should dress conservatively by wearing long pants and dress shoes for men or a blouse and long slacks for women. Ask your client to avoid wearing jeans, shorts, sneakers, and sandals during depositions. The main goal here is to look neat and professional while remaining as comfortable as possible.

What should the deponent bring during a deposition?

Your client should not bring anything to the deposition as these items might be used by the opposing counsel as exhibits.  For instance, if you provide your client with various documents to review, make sure they don’t bring them to the deposition. The opposing attorney might mark whatever document your client brings as an exhibit. 

Even a phone can carry vital information that can be used against your client. The attorney may ask to check your client’s phone for emails, WhatsApp messages, and text messages. With this in mind, it is always a good idea to ask your client not to bring anything other than car keys or eyeglasses.

What time should the client arrive?

Your client should arrive 15-20 minutes before the deposition session starts. This will give you and your client adequate time to prepare and go over any last-minute items. The client will also be able to use the restroom or drink some water if they need to. Moreover, you can plan with the deponent how you will walk into the deposition room together. This will give the client confidence, and he or she will not feel out of place.

Describe what the deposition room will look like

The earlier your client arrives the better. This will give you a chance to describe to them how the conference room looks like. You will also show them where to sit during the deposition. If the session is going to be videotaped, you need to tell the client that they will sit facing a camera and that the client will be the only one in the frame. Also, tell the deponent where the opposing counsel, the videographer, and the court reporter will sit so that the client can picture the scene in advance.

What should the deponent expect?

You need to explain to your client that everything they say during the deposition is on the record. The videographer will start recording and the court reporter will start typing once the deposition begins. The client is required to raise his or her hand to take an oath confirming that they are saying the truth. After the oath, the opposing counsel will start asking questions. Let your client know when he or she should expect to begin answering the questions.

Many end up staying in this career because it is so rewarding. Whether you’re looking to get into a career for the first time or considering switching, there is no question that court reporters serve an important job. It’s a very serious career and a job that the people that do it take seriously! After all, it is a crucial line of work that is integral to the legal system.

This may be a good fit for you if you like to be in court houses, have an attention to detail, like to do work that will be meaningful or serving a purpose, are organized and timely, and are generally extremely responsible. Being quick at typing can also help, but that is of course something learned along the way to becoming certified.

There’s a constant requirement for court reporters that are certified as well as trained. With constant field openings and more jobs available and projected to be available in the coming future, it’s a great field to consider as a career.

This is of course a remarkable shift from many career fields which are becoming outdated or even obsolete. There are so many jobs and lines of work that are going out of style. This increase of positions may be due to the steady requirement of this position for the courts and more as well as the fact that many people working currently are beginning the retirement process, have already retired, or will soon be retiring.

In a few years there may be as many as 5,500 court reporter jobs that have opened up in America alone! This field will continue this trend barring a bunch of courts closing down (unlikely to occur). This career is a great choice because you can get 2 years of training and get certified and start. That’s two less years than most degrees and you’re right out into the field, getting started and making money.

Best of all, you can depend on this as a career that is going to have a high beginning salary of $40,000 at least. You won’t have to wait a long time to make back the money that you invested and be earning a comfortable living.

There are so many individuals that would do really well working in this field. If you think that you are determined, professional, reliable, good with time management, detail oriented, committed, able to focus for long periods of time, among other positive traits, this might be the field for you!

Reporters are now able to get government jobs and can also transcribe for other areas and purposes. With so many jobs about to open out, this might be a great line to get into. If you’re quick and want a reliable career, and are accurate with tying, this might be for you!

Work on your vocabulary.

Expanding your vocabulary is beneficial if you are planning on working in court reporting. You can do this by downloading an app, flipping through a dictionary, reading different books, or learning random new words. Learning more legal terms as well as medical words and terms may prove helpful.

The more that you study new words, the better you’ll be prepared as a reporter. Keeping up with local and national news could also be helpful, as you’ll pick up new vocabulary and terms that you could need to recognize while working as a reporter.

Practice your typing.

Keep in mind that there are different machine types and technology. Look up the most frequently used in your own area. Learn how to work the stenography machine, getting comfortable with positions of your fingers before moving on to typing. You must be able to type at a rate of 225 w.p.m. (words per minute).

These words must not only be typed out quickly, they should also be typed out accurately. Being a good reporter is just as much about being accurate as it is being efficient or quick. If you can put aside a block of time every day so that you can practice and work on it, you will see improvement.

Many students that graduate will tell you that they put in their fair share of practice hours. Work on being accurate in the beginning, then work on picking up speed.

Be comfortable.

Remember to sit in the correct position (up straight, both feet flat, keyboard positioned so forearms are parallel to floor). You want to be comfortable while you are typing. Adjust your chair, posture, machine height and more if you are not comfortable or feel tension or pain. Be sure to stretch as well to prevent later tension.

Keep a notebook.

Keeping a notebook and putting words in that you don’t know, frequently use, or have a tough time typing out. Then you can look up words that you were not familiar with and learn how to spell them as well as what their definition is. Practice typing the words on the list that you struggle with spelling out.

Use the resources available to you.

Maximize the resources you have while at school. Ask questions, practice typing, and get advice and insights from reporters who have worked in the field. Typing skills are important, but you may realize that other life skills are just as necessary.

Being early, planning your time, being accurate, being professional, having a business wardrobe and demeanor, personal grooming and presentation, and even getting enough sleep can all be incredibly relevant to a future career in court reporting.

Have a support system.

Teachers, students, friends, family, guidance counselors, therapists, and more can all be great sources of support. Have people in your life that encourage and support you on your way to success!

The average person working in this field has been trained professionally at certified schools or programs. Once in their field, they are able to take down what is dictated or said or even done at up to two hundred words per minute.

Not only can they do this accurately, they can do it quickly! So, what is the secret to their ability to take diction so speedily and how these typists are able to have their fingers fly across the keys and type in such a rapid way?

The average court reporter is able to take down anything that is said with an accuracy that averages around 98.5%. That’s not too bad, right? Not only do they have to know how to type, but reporters also have to be trained to type in a very unique and special way. The expert involved may be trained and experienced in typing rather quickly, but it’s done on a machine that is very different from the standard QWERTY keyboard.

The specially-designed reporting machine allows for dictation and typing speeds that differ quite a bit from the average keyboard on a computer. This machine is designed to enhance and facilitate speed. The keys are not the same in that they have sound represented on them, not words. The professional must type on a phonetic basis.

The keys are 22 in number and are unmarked. The keyboard is also divided into different halves; one for right fingers and one for the left. A second level is where the thumbs rest. The left side has the phonetic sounds that are used initially, such as as a ‘hard K’ sound. The right has final phonetics like the sound of the ‘n’ in the word ‘man’.

The middle contains the vowels and are where the thumbs are placed. There are four keys on this machine concerning vowels. Combinations of these keys represent all of English’s vowel sounds. The interesting part about using this machine is that the professional must listen to sounds and move their fingers to certain keys accordingly.

This is just how the ability to type so quickly is able to happen. Phonetics are used instead of individual letters, inevitably reducing the amount of typing that is required and keeping everything streamlined and efficient. It’s no wonder that these professionals are able to type with such speed and get so much down!

A combination of skill and a unique machine makes quick typing as a reporter possible. With the right training, equipment, commitment, and focus, it’s no surprise that professionals working in this field are able to type rather quickly and with amazing accuracy too.

A realtime service may seem like a good idea, but is it? Who would know better than a court reporter? The first thing that any reporter will tell you is that you should meet with a reporter or reporting firm. That way you can have any drivers or software programs loaded into your computer. This may include things such as Case Map or Case Notebook.

If you are working with a reporter for the first time, the meeting may help you resolve connectivity issues if you are using your personal laptop. You don’t want to have any issues when you are trying to do a hearing or a deposition. It should all be resolved before. Ask a reporter to bring a device with the software if you don’t have the proper software or ability.

You’ll also want to install software onto your computer if that is not an option. A transcript is going to be provided by the reporter and that is the point of it all, so be sure to make sure that they either have everything that they need or they have what is required of you.

Reporters often write things out using phonetics so don’t worry that the grammar or a typo will show up. It won’t be there in the final transcript; it will edited and corrected once the document is reviewed or the stenographer will be able to go back and correct it when there is a moment.

A reporter will be able to speak up and get clarification if they have missed anything as well. The accuracy level and skill that a reporter brings to these type of events simply cannot be denied. They also have the experience necessary to be able to speak up and get the correct word or sentence on record.

A reporter usually will send over a rough draft that has been cleaned up as part of a service. That way you can review everything and make notes. Not every service offers this and not all reporters work with realtime so request this specifically if you would like it and get a realtime reporter.

These reporters often have certifications that show how proficient they are at reporting. Two of the best certifications are CCRR and CRR, which require speed tests that are times and high rates of translation to receive. Realtime allows for sending transcripts to other places and allows for making notes, testimony, seeing questions and answers, and more right in the moment and not after.

If you’re an attorney and haven’t tried this service yet, test it out and see what you think! You may be thrilled with the results and the options that it affords you– and all in real time. Check it out and you may be glad that you did.

You may know that it’s time to hire a realtime reporter when certain things are happening. Generally if there isn’t one in the room you should, but we’re getting a little more specific about that today. When it comes to the technology reporting or real reporters, which is more effective?

Overall, the human element tends to be more effective. Real people have the benefit of being able to spot errors and point out mistakes or let someone know if they’re about to ‘have an error’, (about to be sick or something), which a machine usually doesn’t do.

If software or a machine isn’t working, you usually find that out when it breaks or when you review the transcription or recording and it isn’t there. That doesn’t happen all of the time, but the risk is always there. The benefit of this tech is that when it works well, the translation happens instantly and quickly. The software can convert sounds or shorthand into text that is readable.

Another benefit to the tech is that you can view the text wherever you want to– tablet or computer, screen, it doesn’t make a difference. The benefit of a live person is that they can clarify, however, if something is too soft to be recorded or they’re unlikely to put a word out of context because they misheard it, which a machine definitely could do.

A human stenographer is more likely to put down every word exactly as heard and as it was said. If they can’t hear or did not understand, they may ask for clarification. Depositions and court rooms depend on accuracy. While tech is improving, each court or deposition room has to consider the benefits of using real time court reporting tech or individual (human) reporters for themselves.

Tech may also provide the option of remote video and streaming depending on the software which may make it easier for depositions. It may also allow easy access to case information instead of the slow approach. They can even be synced up to official transcripts from courts, allowing fast and easy navigation and reviewing of evidence, and may even allow for simple emailing for review to teams.

Whether you go with tech or human reporters, either way, the job is getting done. It all depends on what you’re looking for. Software can allow for quicker and easier access and sending for review and potentially save costs if it’s efficient (and doesn’t break). There are benefits to each; check them out and see which is right for you.

Courts have been reliant upon the individuals that have not only learned but honed their profession. Having them there allows for court sessions to be recorded and remain transparent and fair. You may have heard them described as stenographers or seen one in the movies, typing away at a dramatic court scene.

Whether you are one, know someone that works in this field, or are considering being one, court reporters are an integral part of the court system. Trials could not go on and courts could not function as they do without these human professionals that are taking down every word and action diligently and accurately.

Today we are going into depth about everything court reporting and what this career involves. Everything from recording depositions to court trials and business meetings and more might be something that you make money from as a stenographer.

Court reporters record the events and the words spoken in courtrooms, and everything must be accurate. They are the recorders of what goes on and what is stated and if they don’t hear something they ask for it to be repeated so that the transcription will be correct. If they are asked to strike something from the record by the judge, they strike it from the record.

It does involve skill level and reporters often go to schools or training to learn how to type and perform the job accurately and with a level of quickness, skill, and professionalism. Without their efforts, there would not be a transcription. Courts are not getting rid of this position anytime soon.

Even the threat of technology being introduced is no competition for the real (human) deal. Stenographers just have a level of accuracy and competency that a machine cannot match, at least not to that level. Add in potential error or malfunction and you have a risk both financially and when it comes to the veracity of the record itself.

They simply are not able to have that literally personal touch of interpreting accents or hearing what someone said without getting a word wrong (perhaps the machine is all audio recording and not familiar with idioms or a heavy Brooklyn accent).

Typically, the typing speed for a typist wanting to get into this field would be 200 words. That is not per hour, it is per minute! There also is a requirement for accuracy levels. In most cases, the ability to achieve 97.5% accuracy is desired.

Before that you should get a certification of completion from a court reporting school that is state recognized. That will make you eligible to take the state exam. Upon qualification you will receive your license that allows you to prove you have been trained and are ready to work in the field. It’s a great job to have and if you have the traits and commitment to do this job, then this could potentially be your career!

When it comes to being a court reporter, it’s a very important job. These individuals take transcriptions of what is said and done in a court cases. It is the record of what happens and accuracy of the information within is crucial.

You can already see that quite a bit falls upon the shoulders of a stenographer. We’re going to go into a bit more detail about why stenographers are such an important part of courtrooms across the nation; read on and find out more!

These days, it may seem like technology is being integrated everywhere that you look. From a robot that is able to flip burgers to mechanical bartenders that can make a cocktail to automated grocery store checkouts and chips in your credit and debit card, it may seem that the future could very well be now.

However, the absence of technology replacing human beings completely may be a good indication that the tech world is not yet at the point where they can totally do a better quality control job than people. While in some cases a machine may prove to be more efficient than an individual overall, incorporating computers or robots into actual total jobs may be more problematic than one might think.

Consider the field of court reporting– stenographers must be paying close attention to the proceedings in order to take down what is said and done. If they don’t hear something correctly because it is said quietly, mumbled, or just did not understand what was spoken, they can and must ask for clarification so that the transcript is right.

However, a computerized audio recording system does not have the self-awareness to do so– and so part of the transcript may have recorded what was said, but it is not able to be deciphered and that part of the audio is incomplete. A machine may never even know that they have made an error. Since legal records need to be totally accurate, you can see how a person would be better at this job than a tech counterpart.

Human court reporters are also valuable in many other ways. They have experience in the field that lends itself to being more accurate. They also are able to quickly make notes in shorthand, something computers simply cannot do.

At the end of the day, integrating tech into human stenographers’ jobs may be a successful compromise. Court reporters are already taking advantage of programs and apps in the field. What does seem unlikely is a total move towards automated reporting from people to audio tech. While it would seem that courts could save a lot of money by switching over, the initial cost of the tech is also joined by problematic performance, the need for repair, and more.

Machines break down– people don’t! When the name of the game is creating accurate records, you cannot do better than hiring a real person to do the job. The accuracy, experience, focus, and intelligence of a human stenographer is simply too valuable to ever truly be eclipsed by a substitute.

Read on to find out more about why this job position is so valuable and why it will likely never really be replaced by any tech completely.

It may seem that in our modern world that technology is everywhere. It’s in our A.T.M.s that speak to us when we withdraw money, in the self-checkout lanes at our grocery store, in the chips in our credit cards, and in various other jobs, tasks, and functions that we take advantage of on a regular basis. When it comes to court reporting, is a machine more efficient than a person?

The short answer is no. A machine may have certain advantages, or at least seem to. We may think that a machine will certainly be more efficient than a human at recording audio. However, this skill can have certain drawbacks. While a person can ask for clarification, a machine cannot. It may not even know when it has made an error. A stenographer will be able to ask for clarity and get the audio transcription that is needed to have an accurate recording of the court proceedings.

A court reporter can capture the spoken word the way it is meant to be, which is crucial when it comes to creating highly accurate legal records. They also have the benefit of being familiar with the legal processes involved in proceedings regarding trials and depositions, which can be invaluable when reporting. Their accuracy is certainly tough to beat, especially when the stenographer has years of experience.

Stenographers can also edit shorthand notes quickly thanks to computers. This means that anyone involved has quick access to transcripts that they can go over, something that technological advancements cannot match. As stenography has traditionally involved sorting through word conflicts and taking down shorthand notes and transcripts, it has a context that is difficult to replicate through the use of technology alone. However, tech advancements combined with court reporters have proven to be a successful duo, with apps and programs allowing steno writers to do their jobs more accurately and easily.

While it can seem tempting to want to replace reporters with machines, courts and governments must consider the drawbacks. While operational expenses would seem to be downsized by replacing people with machines, when you consider how heavily most courts already rely on stenographers, it can seem like a foolhardy move. Legal proceedings require accurate court reporting, so if a machine breaks or does not take down what it was supposed to, the whole day can be lost.

At the end of the day, stenographic court reporters are a huge asset to the court system. Not only are they always able to do their job, but they are smart, attentive, reliable and innovative. Whether in depositions or court cases, court reporters aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. They matter too much to accurate reporting and the system in general. Sorry, technology.