Court reporters, also known as stenographers, create a verbatim written transcript of the spoken word. This person uses special equipment that is called a stenotype, with the help of which he or she captures the sound of words in a phonetic code, with each line of characters representing one sound or syllable. The task of a court reporter is to transcribe court testimony, speeches, meetings, depositions, legal proceedings, cyber-conferences and other events at rates exceeding 225 words per minute. Besides, they also prepare, review and proof printed or magnetic media transcripts using computer-aided transcription software.
Education
Training for court reporters is offered by 130 programs, including proprietary schools, community colleges, four-year universities and distance learning programs. The NCRA has certified about 62 of these programs, which require graduates to capture a minimum of 225 words per minute, a requirement for federal government employment and many other practice environments.
Training and Certification
The amount of training required to become a court reporter ranges from less than a year for a novice voice writer to an average of 33 months for a real-time stenotypist. So, it takes a minimum of two years to become skillful at real-time voice writing. Electronic reporters, who operate recording equipment and do not use a steno machine, can be trained in as little as three months and learn most of their skills on the job.
A lot of court reporters advance their careers through extra certifications that demonstrate higher levels of experience and competency.
Skills
Court reporters must master the use of the stenotype and stenographic technology such as computer-aided transcription (CAT) software, speech recognition equipment and real-time technology.
As for other necessary court reporting abilities, they include listening skills and an excellent command of English grammar, vocabulary and punctuation. Transcription speeds in excess of 225 words per minute are vital to the court reporter’s work as well as the ability to maintain confidentiality. A person who wants to become a court reporter must be detail-oriented, accurate, punctual, disciplined and work well under pressure.
Practice Environments
According to the Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), court reporters held about 19,000 jobs in 2006. More than half worked for State and local governments, evidencing the large number of court reporters employed in courts, legislatures and government agencies. Most of court reporters are also employed by court reporting agencies and television networks. And around 8 percent of court reporters are self-employed freelancers, according to the BLS.
Salary
As for court reporter salaries, they vary according to the region of employment and type of reporting job as well as the court reporter’s level of certification and experience.
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