One of the greatest skills of an experienced court reporter is the ability to type quickly and accurately. If you’ve ever been to a courtroom, you may have noticed a court reporter recording transcripts during proceedings. Typing quickly without any errors is a skill that court reporters or stenographers learn and gain over time. They are able to note down what is being said or dictated at up to 200 words per minute without making any errors. This brings us to the big question – how are court reporters such fast typists?

Well, the average stenographer is able to type what is dictated with an accuracy of up to 98.5%. They go through a high level of training that requires them to learn how to type quickly and accurately in a unique and special way. They do not use ordinary typing machines. Their entire training is done on a machine that is very different from the regular QWERTY keyboard.

Court reporting machines are tailored to allow for fast dictation and typing speeds. They differ from the average QWERTY keyboard found on a computer. Their unique designs enhance and facilitate fast typing speeds. Moreover, the keys on these court-reporting machines are phonetic, meaning they have sounds represented on them rather than words. This means the reporter must type using phonetics rather than actual words.

There are 22 keys on a court-reporting machine and they remain unmarked. In addition, the keyboard is divided into different halves to make it easier for the reporter to type. One half is for the right fingers while the other half is for the left fingers. Meanwhile, the thumbs rest on a special second level. The left of the keyboard produces the phonetic sounds like hard K that are commonly used while the right side of the keyboard produces sounds like “n”.

The second level, which is also the middle of the keyboard, has vowels. Apparently, there are only four vowels on this keyboard but a combination of these keys produces all English vowel sounds. The most intriguing part about this machine is that the court reporter must listen to sounds and type certain keys accordingly.

Since court reporters use phonetics rather than mere letters or words, they are able to type quickly with utter precision. Using phonetics significantly reduces the amount of time required to type, but the reporter requires adequate training to gain this skill.

Do you know what court reporting is? Are you conversant with the process court reporters undertake to accomplish their tasks? If you are a certified court reporter, then you might have some knowledge of what court reporting entails. Even so, only a few court reporters bother to look into the history of stenography. 

The ancient appearance of stenographs conceals their importance in court reporting. The stenography machines play an integral part in enabling court reporters to complete their tasks seamlessly. So how did these machines come to be? 

Even though they were in existence long before 1877, it was until then that their functioning was perfected. This credit goes to one Miles Bartholomew. His modified stenograph version was able to work better than the previously developed models of the machine. 

He fine-tuned his 1879 stenograph models such that by 1884 he had patented it. The machines were sold by the United States Stenograph Corp situated in Illinois, a business entity that was a brainchild of Miles Bartholomew. 

Bartholomew’s invention of the stenograph machine perfectly depicts the reasoning behind the adage that states that “necessity is the mother of invention”. He had successfully pinpointed the challenges that he and other court reporters were facing when undertaking their duties and created a machine that made their work easier and more efficient.

Writers across the globe consistently used the original version of the stenograph until 1937 when shorthand via a machine was developed. Unlike the previous version that had ten keys with each of them being used as a single letter stroke, the shorthand version made use of dots and dashes. Stenography was ushering the use of typewriting. 

In 1889, Kerr Anderson created the Anderson typewriter, making it the first of its kind. Stenography machines now had a keyboard that allowed typists to press down just one key at the same time. Typists could now comfortable type given the machine’s preference for English letters over the dot and dash system. It just took one stroke to take down syllables and full words. 

The Anderson typewriter played a part in speeding up shorthand. Even so, it did not gain major traction as would have been expected. However, its use in recording the inaugural speech of President William Mckinley earned it a place in the history books. 

In 1991, the Universal Stenotype Co. in Ireland invented a new version of the Stenotype Shorthand Machine. This machine added a new dimension to stenography. It had a fully depressed keyboard, which could write words and numbers phonetically with one stroke, making its stroke to output ratio lesser than other machines before it. Moreover, it weighed only 11 lbs, making it the lightest stenography at that time. Its unique features enabled it to win a speed typing contest with a 93. 4% accuracy in 1914.

Stenograph machines are still used to date by court reporters. Now that you are conversant with stenograph’s unique history, you can now appreciate its present form and use in the courts.  

The stenograph has been an avid part of a court reporter’s job ever since its integration. It may look quite dated to some, but court reporting could not be done without it.

How did the stenograph first come to be? This revolutionary shorthand machine was in the works for quite some time. It was 1877 by the time that someone perfected it, and Miles Bartholomew has gone down in history to be the first person to invent a working stenograph.

The original model was fine-tuned while patents were quickly secured for it from 1879-1884. Miles had a company in Illinois named the United States Stenograph Corp. that sold the machine. Bartholomew created the corporation around his stenograph invention.

The original style of stenograph was used consistently by writers globally until 1937. These machines each had ten keys, and each of those used counted as a single-letter stroke. As a result, dashes and dots would be created and shorthand via machine was born.

Bartholomew himself was well-suited to invent the machine. You know what they say, necessity is the mother of all invention. Well, Miles was a court reporter, so you can see the impetus to create a machine that would help him and everyone in his field as well do their jobs more efficiently!

His machine was the first to be officially integrated into the job. It was also used to train future court reporters in some schools, but unfortunately, Bartholomew did not get as much financial success from the invention and sales as expected. However, he accepted that, and was just happy that the tool was helping court reporters to do their job.

He even wrote that public favor had turned to the stenography machine over the pen, letting old prejudices against the machine fade away. However, another shorthand machine from another inventor was on the way.

The Anderson typewriter was created in 1889 by George Kerr Anderson. This time, the stenography machine had a keyboard that would allow the typists to press down more than just one key at the same time. The machine favored English letters over the dots and dashes system as well. Full words and syllables could be taken down with just one stroke.

Shorthand would be sped up, with Anderson channeling the typewriter as design inspiration. While the machine did not gain major traction, it was used in the recording of the inaugural speech of President William McKinley.

In 1911, the Stenotype Shorthand Machine was invented in Ireland by the Universal Stenotype Co. This machine was different from the others. The keyboard was fully depressed, and each stroke could write words and numbers phonetically. It had the least stroke to output ration and even won a national speed contest in 1914 (with a 99.3% accuracy). At 11 lbs., it was lighter than those that came before.

Today, court reporters still use the stenograph daily. Now that you know the history, you can appreciate the machine in its present form and all the changes and updates that came along the way to make it what it is today.

Court reporting in real time is when stenotype shorthand is converted into English instantly. The stenotype strokes are translated and the English version is sent off to counsel and litigation immediately.

Real time court reporting allows for a written transcription to be produced of proceedings so that testimony and actions are way more available than they would be otherwise. Making notes to follow up with later is easier than ever, and anything that seems inconsistent can be taken down so that things are clarified later.

One of the advantages of this is that this can all be done without disrupting proceedings and keeps everything flowing smoothly. Software that does this often includes an instant messaging feature you can use for a variety of purposes, including speaking to your team in confidentiality without interrupting the proceedings.

Some reporters specialize in performing real time on their own. They have the ability to quickly take down information and use the tech accurately. Their knowledge and focus make instantaneous and accurate records is invaluable for courts that use this tech.

One of the better aspects of this tech is that people don’t even have to be in the same country to access it. You could be miles away and still be able to see what’s going on. Court reporters often take advantage of prep materials related to the case and take documents and technical information regarding the case down so that they can easily type the words or certain terms that may be lengthy or complicated.

These prep materials can prepare the reporter and the interpreter alike, as they are sometimes doing their job in the present moment as well. When it comes to an interpreter, they save time with a record in front of them– meaning they don’t need to request a question repeat nearly so often. This results in a more efficient and successful hearing overall.

Sending prep materials to a reporter will help them get ready for a proceeding and prepare for a deposition. Efficient court reporters are meticulous and detailed by nature or cultivation, and anything that they can get that will help them type out a transcript in a smooth manner will prove helpful.

The speed and flow of a deposition or hearing can vastly improve the overall experience and cut a lot of time off that would otherwise be taken up. The earlier that reporters can get their hands on them, the better.

Realtime court reporting is a great skill that reporters can develop and that many can benefit from. This type of reporting offers something that other styles of reporting have a tough time doing. It’s a step above the rest so if you can try it out for yourself, try it! You may really be impressed with the results.