Court Reporters At Work - Find Out The Job Duties Involved

Court reporters are an essential part of courts of law. They ensure the integrity of court proceedings by taking or recording a complete and accurate account of all verbal exchanges that occur before the judge and the jury. After recording what transpired in court, court reporters then take upon the task of transcribing their record into a format that fits the template used in all official court records. The transcribed documents are complete in content, from the opening of the court case, the swearing in of witnesses, the questioning and cross examination of witnesses, presentation of evidences, etc., until the hearing ends for the day. They ensure that their transcription contains the correct spelling of names of lawyers and witnesses, who the speaker was and who was being questioned, and the correct tagging of evidences, among many others. For this reason, court reporters are trained to be well-versed in legal terminologies and, in some cases, even medical terms.

In this profession, there are three types of specializations: stenographic court reporting, electronic court reporting, and voice writing. Each of these specializations has a defined skill set. A stenographic reporter is skilled in operating a stenographic machine and deciphering its many codes. As a rule, stenographic court reporters are required to maintain a minimum typing speed of 220 to 250 words per minute. Stenographic reporters receive monthly wages and additional fee for every page of transcription that they prepare.

Electronic court reporters, on the other hand, make use of special audio recording devices. These devices are more advanced than the ones commonly found in stores. These recording devices are usually hooked into a computer. Electronic reporters are skilled in operating these devices. They also input notes and information in the computer at certain points during a recording, such as to identify multiple speakers. After recording, they rewind the audio and transcribe it by either slowing it down or rewinding to portions where the spoken words are not very clear. They are usually paid per page of transcribed court records.

Voice writers, on the other hand, make use of voice recognition technology using special recording devices that allow them to talk into a "masked" microphone. This is done in order to record certain happenings in the courtroom that a regular stenographic reporter and electronic reporter cannot capture. For this reason, most voice writers need to have clear voice and great pronunciation and diction. The dictation or recording that they make is fed into the computer which in turn does the transcription.

Other job duties which court reporters perform include clerical assistance to lawyers and the judge handling a court case in cases when they need to refer to previous records that were captured. They also proofread what they transcribe to make sure it fits the standard format and style. Stenographers are also hired for freelance work. Some who are wage-earners still engage in part-time transcription work for businesses, law firms, and the like.