What Is A Court Reporter And Why You Should Consider Becoming One?

February 14th, 2010 by admin

If you have been to court or have watched a few court dramas on television you would have probably noticed a person sitting on the side typing away as the court proceeded with a case. This is who a court reporter is. If you want to know what is a court reporter in more detail then just read on.

The job of a reporter of the court is to report every word which is spoken during a court proceeding. This can include everything from trains to hearings as well as any dispositions and out of court proceedings. Being a reporter of the court requires probably super focus, speed and most of all concentration. You also need to be a very accurate typist.

One of the first things you should possess before you can become a court reporter is a mastery over the English language. Almost always there are people talking over each other and talking at a rapid pace which can make things very hectic. It can also put a court reporter under stress if he or she gets significantly left behind.

There are two common methods that most court reporters use. The most common of which is a stenotype machine. Now although it looks like a normal keyboard a stenotype machine is different because it does not use individual letters rather it uses chords that are special shorthand type characters.

Learning how to use a stenotype requires a great deal of training and practice to learn. Once you manage to learn it you can type at around 250 words per minute fairly easily. This will allow you to keep up with court proceedings.

The second methods uses a voice silencer which is called steno mask along with a digital recorder and in conjunction with a voice recognition software. The reporter wears the mask and speaks right into it.

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