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There
are two type of court reporters. The first is the official court reporter.
They work in the state and/or federal-court house, taking down civil/criminal
trials, motions, hearings, pleas, etc. They are employees of the government.
They are paid a handsome salary and benefits and go to the same place
of business every day. Official court reporters received a lot of attention
during the O.J. Simpson trial. They were there, right on your TV screen. The
other is a freelance court reporter. A self-employed, independent contractor
traveling to different locations to take depositions, municipal hearings,
board meetings, etc. Some
attend school with deaf and/or hearing impaired students, sitting side-by-side
with their laptops and steno machines, instantly translating what the
teacher is saying so that the student can read their screen and participate
in the class. They also work with corporations, providing their service
to deaf and/or hearing impaired employees, so that they, too, can participate
and interact in company meetings. When
you see “Closed Captioning Provided By” on TV, a court reporter
is providing that service. And with the new regulations regarding closed
captioning for television, the demand is so great for court reporters
that positions are becoming hard to fill. Freelance
court reporters in their first year earn approximately $35,000. Their
average salary with five years of experience is approximately $50,000
to $70,000. Court reporters are self-employed and can work as much or
as little as they want, and anywhere they want. There are thousands of
court reporters nationwide. Why
use a court reporter when you can just use a tape recorder? What is it
that makes a court reporter not very easily replaceable? It’s
our unique skill, dedication and intense training. In order to pass our
state boards, court reporters are required to write at 225 words per minute.
Don’t let that scare you. It’s not like writing on a typewriter.
The steno machine has only 22 keys and they are used in the most intriguing
way to create such speed and accuracy. Your first few months of court
reporting school will be learning how to read and write a new language
that only court reporters know. Court
reporters are there swearing the witness in, writing down the spoken word.
If they don’t understand or hear something, they say, “Excuse
me. Can you repeat that?” or “Can you spell that?” They
make sure they have an accurate record of the testimony given. They use
medical, legal, scientific, engineering, physics and patient’s dictionaries
and databases to verify spellings and terms. They’re online, in
chat rooms, interacting with other court reporters, to find the correct
spellings of a technical term. In short,
they sign a certificate at the end of their transcript that it is true
and accurate testimony. They
are licensed and governed by our state board. They have mandatory continuing
education credits to comply with. They are and have always been the “new
technology.” They are true professionals. They are the human factor. There
have been a myriad of studies and investigations done that have shown
time and time again that they are the best, most accurate and preferred
method of recording any proceeding. This is a profession you can be proud of. It’s alive, it’s well, it’s flourishing, and it’s looking for you. |