Different Types of Court Reporting Services

From the courtroom to broadcast television, there are various types of court reporting services that a court reporter can do. Gone are the days when their professional career was just confined to the legal field. Nowadays, their world has moved to a more global workplace with job opportunities from all across the world that are both challenging and very well-paid.

Let’s take a look at some of the services that a court reporter can offer:

Transcription services

Court reporters are hired in court proceedings and in legal depositions to create a word for word record of everything said. When requested, they also take note of the gestures made by the speakers. In the transcription process, everything is first recorded by typing into a stenotype machine. After which, the steno notes are translated into understandable words. Then, proofreading is done to check for any typo errors, paying particular attention to technical terminology and people’s names. Finally, the translated notes are submitted as the final transcript and will become the official record of the proceedings or event.

Transcription services are available not just for the legal community, but can also be made for police statements, witness statements, interviews, 911 calls, voice mail messages, web meetings, etc. Experienced court reporters can convert any file format, such as DVDs, videos, digital recordings, audio files, cassettes, micro-cassettes and even VHS recordings into high quality transcripts.

Broadcast Captioning services

Court reporters can also use their court reporting skills to provide broadcast captioning, also called steno captioning. This is a type of service wherein audio is immediately translated into readable text that can be displayed in any language format in live television programs for viewers who are deaf or hearing-impaired and also for viewers whose first language is different from the language being used. Broadcast captioners can work in local stations, national networks, and cable channels and can caption any types of live broadcast, such as the news, emergency airings, sports events, entertainment programs and other real-time programming. Federal law mandates captioning of live TV programming throughout the Canadian broadcasting system, and so this creates numerous career opportunities for court reporters with these skills.

CART services

CART is a method of converting speech into text. It is very useful for people with disabilities and who require verbal communication to be enhanced with text for them to be able to understand. This method is commonly used in broadcast captioning, but nowadays these services have expanded into many settings, such as classrooms, community events, business meetings, government functions, internet webcasts, corporate training sessions, courtrooms, and conventions and conferences. A common situation these days is hiring CART professionals as personal translators or interpreters, i.e. a deaf or hard-of-hearing client will retain the services of a CART reporter to accompany him to college classes in order to provide instant translation of speech into text by using a stenotype machine that is connected to his laptop computer.  

Webcasting services

Webcasting services allow video, audio and scrolling transcript broadcasts to be done via the internet. This service is particularly useful and cost-efficient when parties involved are spread out across the country or across the globe. You can hold just about any event through a webcast - sales meetings, press conferences, product introductions, and technical training seminars, etc. Remote participants can see words appear on a wide screen or on each computer, they can speak into telephones or microphones, interact through chat messages, and present and view documents, such as financial earnings reports, sales figures, product portfolio, etc.

Videography

Videography has become an essential court reporting service, particularly in litigation for clients who require videotaped depositions. In these types of services, both a court reporter and a legal videographer, also called a Certified Legal Video Specialist, will be present for the deposition that is set on a particular date.

Court reporting services are no longer limited to litigation support. Advanced technology and equipment now enable court reporters to provide many other types of services that were once beyond their scope and qualifications. Whether the client needs accurate court reporters for local or out-of-town depositions, transcription services, or interpreters, they can uniquely tailor their services to meet every need.

The Methods of Court Recording in Whitby

Court recording in Whitby is a highly skilled profession that involves creating word for word transcriptions of recorded speeches, court hearings, sworn proceedings, depositions, conversations, meetings, and other events. The main difference between different types of court reporters is in the method they use for making the record.

There are three common methods use for creating official transcriptions: stenographic reporting, voice writing, and electronic court reporting.

In stenographic reporting, the court reporter makes use of a stenotype machine to record every word that is being said in the courtroom. The stenotype reporter presses several keys on the machine simultaneously to type stenographic shorthand, a standard combinations of letters that represent words, phrases, or sounds. After recording, reporter translates shorthand recordings into readable text form to produce official records of spoken words. Nowadays, shorthand symbols are recorded electronically and instantly translated and displayed as readable text using a software system called Computer Aided Transcription or CAT. In real-time court reporting, the stenotype machine is simply connected to computers and as the reporter types in the shorthand symbols, these are instantaneously converted into plain words that appear on television or monitor screens right away.

In voice writing method, a voice writing reporter records what he hears by speaking directly into a Stenomask, which is a hand-held mask with a built-in microphone. He simply repeats testimony or speech word for word by speaking into the mic, the mask prevents him from being heard and also helps block off any background noise. The voice recording is then converted into readable text document by using speech recognition software.

The method of electronic reporting, also called digital court reporting, uses digital audio equipment or analog tape recorders with multi-channel capabilities to record speech. The electronic reporter simply monitors the functioning of the equipment, notes down identity of the speakers, and listens throughout the proceedings to guarantee accuracy and clarity of the recording. The digital recording is then transcribed into written transcript, and can be done either by the reporter himself if he has acquired special skills in electronic transcription, or another person who is a certified transcriber is called on to do transcription.

Each method of court recording requires different training to develop specific skill sets. It’s important to be clear on the method you wish to use if you are thinking about pursuing a career in this field so you can direct your career growth properly. Although court recording does not require a four year degree, it involves technical training, achieving certification designation and continuing education credits.

Employment opportunities for court recording are projected to grow by 10 percent until 2022. Those who wish to work in industries outside of the legal realm can do so in government agencies, in television programming and in broadcasting as long as they possess additional skill sets for broadcast or real-time captioning, Communication Access Real-time Translation (CART), and/or webcasting services. No doubt, there is a bright future ahead if you wish to make a career out of court recording in Whitby.