Court Reporters – Aren’t They the Unsung Players in a Court?
Court reporters are responsible for providing a clean, accurate record and secure legal transcripts of courtroom proceedings.
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Accurate transcripts play a key role in better handling of legal cases. A court reporter, sitting on the sidelines typing on a stenotype machine has got a critical role to play in a courtroom. Even with the availability of speech-to-text software, a perfect transcript of the courtroom proceedings still depends on the skills of this court stenographer. They work diligently to maintain very high standards of accuracy in their transcription. Court reporters may utilize court proceedings transcription services to ease their workload and obtain error-free transcripts. Court reporters transcribe all official court proceedings in circuit court, whether it is a 5-minute preliminary hearing or a week-long murder trial. They create word-for-word transcripts of speeches, conversations, legal proceedings, witness testimonies, depositions, meetings, and other events. Clear reports also allow judges and attorneys to efficiently search for important information. A certified court reporter can typically type around 225 words per minute (wpm) with 98 percent accuracy, while most experienced reporters can type between 280 and 300 wpm. Along with their transcribing duties, these stenographers are also responsible for storing evidence. Some certified court reporters use software that produces real-time transcripts for judges who may want to read simultaneously what the parties are saying. Some reporters primarily serve people who are deaf or hard of hearing by transcribing speech to text as the speech occurs. Can Audio Recorders Replace Trained and Educated Reporters? An experienced court reporter will be able to provide a detailed and clear court transcript, deposition video, or court video that effectively eliminates ambiguous elements of any case. But can digital audio recorders replace the skills of a human court reporter? Before coming up with a big “yes or no”, let us check a proposal under a state agency budget request to replace court reporters with audio recording devices in certain administrative hearings, including workers’ compensation trials. Plaintiff and defense counsel recently opposed this proposal in cases that fall under the Division of Hearings and Appeals. Division of Hearings and Appeals (DHA) is an independent entity that annually hears thousands of cases, including workers’ compensation cases. Unlike other cases, workers’ compensation hearings are often complex, have disputed facts, and may require more than one day of testimony spaced out over months or years. According to Governor Scott Walker, “An audio recording of a trial, by its nature, cannot perform the functions of a court reporter. A tape recorder simply records sound. It does not distinguish who the speaker is, cannot direct witnesses to speak louder or more clearly, and is not guaranteed to function properly. Even if the audio recording is completely intelligible, it still would likely result in the need for transcription.” www.legaltranscriptionservice.com
(800) 670 2809
Accurate record of fact-finding proceedings is important for the reviewing tribunal, when initial decisions are appealed. Legal transcription companies are also providing comprehensive solutions to assist this court reporting community meet their documentation requirements. Why Not Audio Recorders? • • • • •
Recorders need not necessarily understand the terminology, resulting in inaccurate or phonetic transcripts Bad transcript may result in redoing the proceedings, which strains the court system and costs the attorneys (and clients) more money Electronic recorders fail to identify the speaker Even with crystal clear quality, it will not be as perfect as what is done by a person who makes sure things are accurate and well managed Attorneys have experienced problems when court reporters are not involved
Digital audio recording as a substitute for a court reporter is generally reserved for lower level cases such as small claims cases, where it's not likely for a court transcription to be required or requested. It is clear that having a court reporter who has graduated from an accredited court reporting program is the best way to produce an accurate record.
www.legaltranscriptionservice.com
(800) 670 2809