Huseby Inc. Court Reporting Blog | Nationwide Court Reporters

Advances in software and information technology have changed the way we court reporters do our jobs. One of the most interesting developments we’ve seen is the development of real time reporting. Although real time reporting has a lot to offer members of our profession, many court reporters are intimidated by it.

Real Time Court Reporting Gives Instant Results

The real time reporter uses a steno machine just like a traditional reporter, but the machine is hooked to a computer with translation software. The software converts the shorthand into a rough English transcript as fast as the reporter can type. This transcript can be sent to other computers, allowing anyone to read the testimony as fast as it happens.

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Another option for court reporters is to hire a scopist to come along when taking legal depositions. The scopist edits the rough transcript in real time, allowing a finished transcript to be produced as soon as the deposition is over. The final product can be delivered to the attorneys before they walk out of the room.

Career Benefits of Real Time

Ours is a demanding profession and if we can do our jobs more efficiently, we can either take on more work or spend more time relaxing. Real time court reporters can produce transcripts faster than traditional reporters, giving them more flexibility in their careers. Teaming up with a good scopist pays for itself and allows the process to flow even more smoothly.

Huseby has many clients who need real time court reporters, and even those who don’t actually need real time appreciate the fast turnaround they get when they hire one. Since a minority of reporters has gone real time, mastering the practice makes a reporter stand out from the crowd.

Real time provides more ammunition in our efforts to educate people that court reporting is more than being a tape recorder. There is no technology around that can produce a finished transcript at the end of a deposition without the help of experienced court reporters.

Make the Job Interesting Again

Let’s be honest about something: our jobs can be deadly dull. Depositions and court cases aren’t the stuff of television drama. Tedious testimony not only stretches out the hours but can also make it difficult to keep our focus. We have to find ways to make our work fun.

The challenge of real time makes the work exciting. The pursuit of the perfect transcript can be a game we play with ourselves. It’s a bit strange at first, dividing our attention between what is being said and the transcript on our screen that lags testimony by a few seconds, but after the first few depositions it becomes second nature. Our skills improve because court reporters can see the results right away.

Court reporters that have made the change will confess that at first real time is nerve-wracking, but after working with it for a few weeks they embrace the new techniques and become better reporters.