Court Reporters Stenographers

When written accounts of spoken words are necessary for correspondence, records, or legal proof, verbatim reports of speeches, conversations, legal proceedings, meetings, or other events are taken by stenographers, court reporters and medical transcriptionists.

Stenographers and stenotype operators take dictation and then transcribe their notes on a word processor or onto a computer diskette. They may take dictation using either shorthand or a stenotype machine, which prints shorthand symbols. General stenographers, including most beginners, take routine dictation and perform other office tasks such as typing, filing, answering telephones, and operating office machines. Experienced and highly skilled stenographers take more difficult dictation. For example, they sit in on staff meetings and provide word-for-word records or summary reports of the proceedings to the participants. They also supervise other stenographers, typists, and clerical workers. Some experienced stenographers take dictation in foreign languages; others work as public stenographers serving traveling business people and others. Technical stenographers must know the medical, legal, engineering, or scientific terminology used in a particular profession.

Court reporters record all statements made in an official proceeding, usually using a stenotype machine. They take down all statements and present their record as the official transcript. Because there is only one person creating an official transcript, accuracy is vitally important. Some reporters still dictate notes on magnetic tapes that a typist can transcribe later. Others transcribe their own notes, or give them to note readers, persons skilled in reading back shorthand notes.

Many reporters do freelance work recording out-of-court depositions for attorneys, proceedings of meetings and conventions, and other private activities. Still others record the proceedings in the U.S. Congress, in State and local governing bodies, and in government agencies at all levels.

Most court reporters use stenotype machines that print shorthand symbols on paper and record them on computer disks. The disks are then loaded into a computer that translates and displays the symbols in English. This is called computer-aided transcription. Stenotype machines that link directly to the computer are used for real-time captioning. That is, as the reporter types the symbols, they are instantly transcribed by the computer. This is used for closed captioning for the deaf or hearing-impaired on television, in courts, or in meetings. Court reporters who specialize in captioning television news stories are called stenocaptioners.