Picture this: A skilled professional sits quietly in a courtroom, their fingers moving with incredible precision across a specialized stenotype machine, capturing every single word spoken during a crucial trial.
Think about watching television with closed captions. Behind those real-time captions is a skilled simultaneous captioner, transforming spoken words into text at speeds of 200+ words per minute with over 98% accuracy.
Court Reporters create word-for-word transcriptions at trials, depositions, administrative hearings, and other legal proceedings. Their role is vital to the justice system, creating an official record that will be referenced for years to come. Simultaneous captioners provide similar transcriptions for television or for presentations in other settings, such as press conferences and business meetings, for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Together, Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners serve as the guardians of the spoken word, creating precise written records that are essential for legal proceedings, accessibility services, and business communications.
Total Employment: 12,390 (2023)
Common Names for Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners
- Certified Shorthand Reporter (CSR)
- Court Monitor
- Court Recording Monitor
- Court Reporter
- Court Stenographer
- Deposition Reporter
- Digital Court Reporter
- Official Court Reporter
- Realtime Court Reporter
- Stenographer
What Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners Do
Court reporters and Simultaneous captioners create word-for-word transcriptions of spoken words and sounds during various events.
Core responsibilities:
- Verbatim Documentation: Create complete, accurate word-for-word transcripts of legal proceedings, meetings, or broadcasts to ensure an official record is maintained for legal and historical purposes.
- Real-Time Transcription: Convert spoken words instantly into readable text during court sessions, meetings, or live events to provide immediate access to proceedings for judges, attorneys, and hearing-impaired individuals.
- Record Management: Maintain organized files of notes, recordings, and official transcripts while following proper legal documentation protocols to ensure easy retrieval and reference of court records.
- Equipment Operation: Set up, test, and operate stenographic or voice writing equipment before proceedings to ensure reliable capture of all spoken content throughout sessions.
- Quality Assurance: Review and edit transcripts for accuracy, proper formatting, and completeness while adhering to court reporting standards and legal requirements.
- Technical Accuracy: Verify terminology, proper names, and technical language through research and clarification with participants to maintain transcript precision.
- Time Management: Meet strict deadlines for transcript delivery while maintaining quality standards to support timely legal proceedings and client needs.
- Confidentiality Maintenance: Protect sensitive information and maintain strict confidentiality of legal proceedings and private meetings in accordance with ethical and legal requirements.
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