Reporting As A CareerWelcome to our Career Information Center. This area of our website contains an explanation of court reporting, types of employment, and education. We offer a wealth of resources for students and working reporters, including test information and other important links.
COURT REPORTING:
A TIME-HONORED, HIGH-TECH PROFESSION
The process of preserving thought – whether by direct writing or by capturing speech – is one of mankind’s oldest professions. It is also one of the world’s most misunderstood. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, pen shorthand artisans brought efficiency to trial courts and established extraordinary standards of writing excellence, attaining speeds as high as 280 words per minute. Today’s high-tech machine shorthand experts use sophisticated stenotype devices and computer technology to convert speech to text instantly and can simultaneously transmit it worldwide. Speeds as fast as 360 wpm (6 words per second) have been demonstrated. Closed captioning is a product of this technology. Pretty far from an old fashioned art! To learn more about the profession of Court Reporting, select from the appropriate topics, found below. To learn more about the history of this “timeless profession,” contact or visit The Gallery of Shorthand, the world’s only public display devoted to the evolution of shorthand reporting. Established in 2001, it is located in the entry rotunda of the federal courthouse in Central Islip, Long Island. http://www.galleryofshorthand.org/ To learn more about the New York State Court Reporters Association – the first shorthand society in the United States – visit our history page using the link that follows. Click here to learn more about the history of NYSCRA. PROFESSION OF COURT REPORTINGWHAT A COURT REPORTER DOES
A court reporter not only writes words, but also indicates who is speaking and uses punctuation to convey how words were said. For example, punctuation tells whether the witness questioned what was asked or admitted to murder in the example “I killed him? I killed him.” Thus, shorthand speed, although important, is only one important reporting skill. HOW THE COURT REPORTER DOES IT CAPTURING SPEECH – FASTER THAN MANY CAN TALK In order to enter the world of verbatim court reporting, a student must demonstrate the ability to write three different types of material at specific speeds: Literary (a speech) at 180 wpm; Jury Charge at 200 wpm; and 2-voice Q&A testimony at 225 wpm. There are two world speed records. One is 300 wpm (5 words per second) for 5 minutes; the other at 360 wpm (6 wps) for one minute – each with more than 97 percent accuracy.
CONTEMPORARY RELIABILITY OF SHORTHAND COURT REPORTING EMPLOYMENT Triggered by the need to provide communication access to the deaf and hearing impaired communities and in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, additional fields have opened. These are known as Closed Captioning (subtitling) and CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation). More employment spinoffs are currently being developed (i.e., mobile phone captioning). Income Structure in New York Court Reporters who work for other governmental agencies (e.g., Workers' Compensation) are salaried and/or paid on a per diem basis. Sometimes these court reporters are also paid for transcripts. Captioners and CART providers are paid per assignment or per hour. Certification and EmploymentPossession of a Certified Shorthand Reporter license, mandatory in many other states, is voluntary in New York, so reporters require no certification in order to work. In the private sector, employers often look to a candidate's performance on independent proficiency examinations to gauge employability. These tests are available through the National Court Reporters Association and the New York State Court Reporters Association. The New York State Court System and other civil service court reporting positions (e.g., NYS Workers' Compensation Board) require testing. DESCRIPTION OF COURT REPORTING FIELDSWorkers' Compensation New York State Courts Testing is required. Successful candidates, ranked by grade, are eligible for appointment to courts throughout the state. There are separate examinations for the lower and higher courts. Examinations are conducted whenever a pool of court reporting talent is needed. Traditionally, promotional hires are made to the NYS Supreme and County Court before canvassing from an open-competitive list. Federal Court Freelance Realtime Reporting Skill You can obtain information about developing/improving realtime skills by visiting our MALL and EXAM tabs. Particularly, look for the section about TRAIN-NY. CART/CAPTIONINGBoth methods use the same basic process. A court reporter attends the event on site or remotely, and writes the spoken word on a high-tech stenotype machine and electronically transmits the text to a laptop which is connected to an overhead projector or encoder to be viewed. CART providers produce that text using speech-to-text technology similar to text produced by captioners and realtime for lawyers. Indicative of their state-of-the-art technological status, both methods can now utilize Google Glass to provide realtime translation. Closed Captioning (Subtitling) CART (Communication Access Realtime Text) is also a way of capturing the spoken word and displaying it. This can be displayed on a laptop computer or projected onto a large screen for multiple people to view - ideal for conferences or large meetings. A laptop might be used in a smaller setting, such as high school or college classes, training sessions, medical appointments, or small meetings. NEW MARKETS FOR COURT REPORTINGNCRA's New Markets Task Force has identified significant new opportunities for realtime reporters in the health care and financial industries. One example: InReach, which provides continuing education management solutions, has partnered with NCRA to make online education accessible to deaf and hearing impaired users through realtime captioning. 2015 is also expected to see an overhaul of the Americans with Disabilities Act, further strengthening the need for realtime-skilled reporters. IMPORTANCE OF CERTIFICATIONWhether captioning the World Trade Center bombing, helping a deaf student understand his professor, or providing the media with transparency at Guantanamo, the work of nonjudicial reporters is of extreme importance. Objective certification of these skills is therefore as important as in the legal arena. NCRA offers certification for Captioners and CART providers. QUALITIES OF THE PROFESSIONAL REPORTERAn expanding interest in words, focus, dexterity, hard work, attention to detail, self-improvement, mature attire and comportment are important qualities of the professional court reporter. REPORTING EDUCATIONMinimally, a good reporting school will provide grounding in:
Schools Finding a Court Reporting School - A Finding a Court Reporting School - B STUDENTSStudents Are The Future Of Court ReportingStudents, per force, are the future of our profession, as in other fields. Recent years have given birth to extraordinarily talented novice reporters, but the number of graduates is not keeping pace with the need. As underscored in NYSCRA President Tursi's 2014 Message: “The US Labor Department predicts a 10 percent growth in reporting by 2022 and a 14 percent growth in reporting salaries by 2020. Business Insider calls reporting “One of 18 most awesome careers.” And an independent industry outlook report has concluded that by 2018 there will be 5,500 additional reporting jobs, with the greatest demand in four states – including New York!” STUDENT RESOURCESThe Role of the NYS Court Reporters Association Horizon Scholarship Program The NYSCRA Board chose the name “Horizon” to signify that success is on the horizon for recipients. Click here for Origin of Horizon Scholarship Award Mentoring Program Mentors consist of court reporters in the freelance and court arenas, CART providers, and captioners. More information is available at the MENTORING tab. Student Membership in NYSCRA The need for competent new reporters is urgent and continuing. This fact is recognized by the NCRA and our own NYS Court Reporters Association. Our association welcomes student membership at reduced cost and provides several student resources, including seminars and networking.OTHER STUDENT RESOURCESProfessional Improvement Practice Dictation Professional Certifications COURT REPORTER RESOURCESThe Mall Other Relevant Websites SOCIAL MEDIAFacebook Links
Historical and contemporary postings of professional interest.
Gifted Texas court reporter Breck Record launched this Facebook page in 2009 in order “to reach more students than were in my area” and because his “passion for students runs very deep....” His group, numbering 5,800 at the start of 2015, helps and supports each other, with Mr. Record's very active participation. The kindhearted Mr. Record shares that this group has been “enriching and rewarding for me and made me a better reporter because of it.”
California's Mikey McMorran began this group, numbering more than 2,800 at the start of 2015, shortly after graduating court reporting school in 2012. You will find good interaction and lots of help here.
Oregon's Marc Greenberg (StrivingSteno) spent several years creating this incredible, interesting documentary about our profession. You can follow its progress here.
Court Reporters/Students Forum Re: NCRA |
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