Clarifying Court Reporting Myths
At Phoenix Deposition Services, we’re proud of the court reporters who help in clarifying court reporting myths. Now we can provide great court reporting to our clients everywhere. Our real-time court reporting allows access to reporting during a deposition even before video has been produced, allowing our users to skip a typical step in the process.
Unfortunately, we hear a number of common misconceptions about our court reporters. These people are professionals who work very hard to attain and retain their position. Let’s look at some of the court reporting myths that have been spread about them. Doing so will help correct them and set the record straight.
It’s Easy – Anyone Can Do It!
Probably the most common misconception here is that court reporters are a replaceable entity. Many people think that this is the kind of job you can just put out a simple ad for on Craigslist, and still, others assume that given our modern technology, we could easily just replace court reporters with recording devices and automated systems.
Simply put, this is false. Even the most advanced automated programs out there still have major issues with things like audio volume, voice nuance and other particulars of this process. They also struggle big time by picking up any technical terminology or jargon used in the case – areas trained reporters will not have any issues in. And as we’ll go over in our next section, this is not simply a job anyone with typing skills can walk in and do instantly.
Typing is the Only Skill Needed
This is likely the most common misconception out there about court reporters. That as long as you can type a decent per-minute word count, you can step in and do this job with no further training. This is silly for several reasons. Mainly because court reporters aren’t even using a standard keyboard.
Court reporters use a stenograph machine, which uses 22 unmarked keys. Court reporters spend significant time training to learn how to use these keys to translate a shorthand. That allows them to quickly capture everything that’s said. The average court reporter is able to track at least 225 words per minute this way. That is far faster than even some of the fastest typers in the world on a standard keyboard. If you haven’t been trained on a stenograph, you’d be completely lost as a court reporter. The terminology and procedures that court reporters need to know, which are significant.
Thresholds Are Low
Another misconception is the idea that once court reporters are trained, they have a guaranteed job for life. This isn’t true, court reporting is a competitive field that requires its professionals to continuously improve their quality. Speed and accuracy requirements are stringent. Those who don’t meet them are released in the pursuit of the right level of quality.
For more on clarifying myths in court reporting, or for any information on our certified court reporting services, speak to the pros at Phoenix Deposition Services today.
