Court reporting: a career with choices.

The court reporting profession has been around for a long time, and the opportunities for these highly trained professionals continue to grow. While most of us think of a court reporter as the person who reports legal proceedings in the courtroom, there are many other fields that require the expertise of a court reporter.

Besides CART (computer-aided real-time reporting, also known as communication access real-time reporting), real-time captioning, freelance reporting and official reporting, court reporters also work In the arena of convention reporting, where they report the meetings and seminars for various state and national conventions.

Another field where court reporters are in high demand is congressional reporting, where they work in state legislatures, the halls of Congress, and even the United Nations.

While there are many different fields of court reporting, they all begin with the same educational requirements, which include two to four years of post-high school education from an accredited court reporting program. There are currently 69 nationally accredited colleges and business schools in 29 states and Canada that offer training in this unique profession.

If a court reporter Chooses to specialize in real-time captioning, an additional two to four months of training is required. This training is usually conducted at the home office of the captioning company.

CART reporters, freelance court reporters and official court reporters are also trained in real-time reporting, which is now included in the overall court reporting curriculum. In most states, both freelance and official court reporters are required to be certified in that state. Although the certification requirements vary somewhat from state to state, most state certifications include a written examination that tests the court reporters knowledge in various fields, such as medicine, business, communications and technology, as well as law, and a skills examination on literary material at 180 words per minute, jury charge at 200 words per minute and testimony at 225 words per minute, with at least 95 percent accuracy.

Additionally, there are national certifications that many court reporters strive to attain, such as the Registered Professional Reporter (RPR), Registered Merit Reporter (RMR), Registered Diplomat Reporter (RDR), Certified Real-Time Reporter (CRR), Certified CART Provider (CCP), Certified Broadcast Captioner/CBC) and Certified Manager of Reporting Services (CMRS).

Take a look at four of these court reporting specialties to get a glimpse of how rewarding this career can be.

RELATED ARTICLE: Computer-Aided Real-Time Translation (CART) reporting.

By Sandra P. Brcka CSR, RPR

When I started working as a professional court reporter in 1992, I was looking forward to making a valuable contribution to the legal profession by providing the skills and ability to accurately record proceedings in depositions and in the courtroom. I found this work to be interesting and rewarding, meeting new people every day and providing a highly valued service in a professional setting. This seemed like an ideal profession where I could meet my personal, professional and financial goals. Little did I know at the time that there was another dimension of rewards on the horizon that would truly make the skills I learned as a court reporter turn into the ideal job.

For the past 10 years, I have been providing CART services for hearing-impaired students at Iowa State University. In this role I provide a text record of everything that is said in the classroom, either by the instructor or by other students.

I set up my court reporting equipment and connect it to a laptop computer that translates the output of my notes into real-time text. I write what the instructor is saying, and the student can take notes from the laptop screen. This is very helpful when the instructor turns his/her back to write on the blackboard, if the instructor has a heavy accent, or even when mustaches are overgrown to the point that lip reading is difficult. After a few classes, the student learns quickly to take notes from the screen while simultaneously following the lecture, reproducing a drawing/graph from an overhead and copying down a much-needed formula from the blackboard.

I discovered right away that the personal rewards of providing handicapped students the support they need to pursue their educations give me a dimension of satisfaction that I didn't experience when working in the legal field. I have developed close friendships with most of the students I have captioned for over the years as well as many of the instructors.

The content for the classes I've written for have varied from a simple resume writing class to highly technical engineering material on the graduate level. I've written many labs and supplemental classes that include discussion sessions for assigned groups. It is very helpful to know ahead of time what class I will be writing so that I can be fully prepared. I have textbooks and lecture notes available to me so I can skim the lecture content and enter any new terms in my dictionary before the scheduled class.

My schedule varies from day to day depending on the class schedules of the students I am working with. This keeps me from getting bored with the same routine every day and gives me a good chance to get all my errands run during the day. I have also provided captioning for pre-recorded lectures that are taught over the Internet.

I love working in the university Environment ... the energy, enthusiasm and probing minds of the students and professors are enriching and exciting. And I also get to dress casually so I blend in with the students!

CART for hearing-impaired students in a classroom situation can be performed onsite or from a remote location using phone lines or the Internet. I prefer working onsite because I think the personal relationships developed between the students, instructors and the reporter enhance the quality of service as well as the overall experience for everyone.

Classroom captioning is only one of many examples of a rewarding career as a CART reporter. Technology allows us to provide captioning services for almost any live audio/video event as well as real-time translation of audio for immediate or future reference. As this technology grows, so will the opportunities for reporters to provide the service.

Whether providing CART services in a classroom setting, as I do, or remote captioning for a live event halfway across the country, CART reporting is a growing and rewarding career opportunity.

RELATED ARTICLE: Real-time captioning.

By Holli R. Miller, RPR

After graduating from just over two years of college at the American Institute of Business (AIB) in 1989, I was ready to venture out into the "real world" of court reporting. I decided to go the route of freelancing because it seemed for me a perfect entrance into the profession with my newly acquired skills. The next few years proved to be difficult because I was in the process of building my dictionary in addition to preparing transcripts on a daily basis. I was ready for a change, not only from freelancing, but from Iowa as well. Luckily, a newly lured court reporter at my firm told me about closed captioning, and after an interview with the National Captioning Institute, I was hired.

At that time, captioning was a new option for court reporters. It would be a daunting task to undertake. There were no articles in the latest trade publications or any other resources available to me for that matter. It was such a new profession that I was on my own. Nevertheless, I was off on my big adventure to the East Coast and looking forward to the opportunities it presented me.

Upon completing my two-month training at NCI, I was put "on the air" to caption my first live TV show--World News Tonight. I had to caption three programs at 98.9 percent accuracy in order to obtain my on-air status with the company. That first show was a nerve-racking experience. My hands were shaking so badly it was hard to find the right keys! Somehow I got through it, and the nervousness subsided with every show.

I rarely get nervous now. However, when breaking news occurs such as the terrorist attacks of 9-11 or the recent capture of Saddam Hussein, my anxiety level rises. Experience increases your level of confidence. Eventually, you know that whatever the anchors throw at you, you will be able to handle it with captions that are accurate and understandable.

I returned to Iowa after five years on the national front to pursue work in the newly expanded local market. New technology now would allow me to transmit captions anywhere across the country with just my machine, a computer and phone lines! The advantages of a home-based career were appealing: no more commutes, no more purchasing of business attire, very little daycare for my children and fewer work hours.

On a daily basis, I caption approximately four-and-a-half hours of shows. Most of my work is completed by 8:00 in the morning. This leaves me with the rest of the day to do as I wish. The flexibility of this career is a great advantage for me and for my family.

In the bigger scheme of things, closed captioning offers people a chance to keep abreast of the latest goings on in the world around them. This is an invaluable service to those who rely on it day in and day out. It is very rewarding for me at the end of a show to know that I've been a part of relaying this information to those who otherwise would not have been able to receive it.

I feel very blessed to have a job that not only provides this service but also is new and exciting every day. As technology continues to expand, I think the opportunities for up-and-coming reporters will be endless. In just the 13 years that I have been a real-time captioner, I'm amazed at how fast and furious it's grown and continues to grow. It's exciting to be a part of such an expanding career!

RELATED ARTICLE: Freelance court reporting.

By Kari Osborn, CSR, RMR, CRR

Freelance court reporting involves a wide variety of reporting in many different venues. Most commonly, freelance court reporters report depositions. A deposition takes place outside the courtroom, often in attorneys' conference rooms, and usually prior to a trial commencing in the case. The court reporter places the witness to be deposed under oath, and the attorneys question the witness regarding his or her knowledge of the case.

The main purpose of depositions is to find out what a witness knows and what he or she will likely say if called as a witness at the trial. This helps the attorneys prepare their case for trial. At times, depositions are also used during the trial, where the deposition is read to the jury in lieu of the witness testifying in person.

I worked as a freelance court reporter for 16 years, and the freelance reporting firm I worked with covered not only depositions, but also a wide range of hearings. For example, I reported school board hearings, convention meetings, public hearings regarding legislative issues and highway planning, sworn statements, and civil service commission hearings. I had the opportunity to travel both in state and out of state to report depositions, and I occasionally received a call to come down to the police station to report a sworn statement of someone who had been arrested or someone who had witnessed a crime. Most of the sworn statements we reported at the police station involved only the capital offenses, such as murder, kidnapping, rape and arson.

I had the opportunity to meet two U.S. Senators while reporting public hearings that they were conducting, sat beside someone's hospital bed while reporting their deposition, wore a hard bat while walking through a factory to report a deposition in a products liability case, reported the business meeting of a state convention, provided real-time reporting for a hearing-impaired person during her job interview at a corporation, and also provided real-time reporting for hearing-impaired persons at a symposium on aesthetics and infrastructure at a local college, where the speakers' words were instantly translated onto a large screen at the front of the auditorium.

Freelance reporting usually affords the opportunity to have more flexible working hours, which is helpful in scheduling appointments and other commitments. However, there are times when depositions take place in the evening hours or on Saturdays. Many freelance reporters work from their homes, preparing the transcripts on their computers, so there are days when you do not have to get dressed up to go into an office.

I had many wonderful and interesting experiences while I worked as a freelance court reporter, and the things you learn every day will just boggle your mind. What a great career for continually expanding your knowledge and experience!

RELATED ARTICLE: Official (judicial) reporting.

By Kari S. Osborn, CSR, RMR, CRR

Official (or judicial) court reporting takes place predominantly in the courtroom, usually in state or federal court. This is the type of court reporting that is most often seen by the public, through their service on a jury or perhaps seeing court reporters on television shows and in movies. Although the reporter's role is often portrayed as effortless on television and in the movies, in real life the reporter's role is much more intense. I have been working as a professional court reporter since 1976. I have been an official reporter for 12 of those years, and I enjoy it immensely. Official court reporters are often referred to as "Guardians of the Record," and that is our most important role. We must hear and write every word that is spoken in hearings and trials, writing on a stenotype machine at speeds of up to 300 words per minute at times. Official reporters also prepare transcripts of proceedings to be used in further proceedings or for appeal purposes. Writing and transcribing court proceedings are large responsibilities, but they offer rewarding challenges and a sense of satisfaction in playing such an important role in our judicial system.

Computers have had a huge impact on virtually every profession. The court reporting profession is no exception, and the use of computer-aided transcription (or CAT software) has opened doors to even more opportunities for court reporters. Along with the rapidly growing demand for CART reporting and real-time captioning, computers allow official reporters to provide real-time translation in the courtroom. Real-time reporting is the instant translation of the proceedings into English as they are being reported. The court reporter's steno writer is linked to a computer, where the transcript is instantly projected onto the computer screen. This is an invaluable aid to the judge, attorneys, litigants, jurors and hearing-impaired persons.

One of the reasons I love working as an official court reporter is that I enjoy being in the courtroom and hearing a case from beginning to end--the full story. Every court case is unique, and you work with many different attorneys and litigants. You also learn to expect the unexpected, because you just never know what is going to happen in a courtroom. From the tense moments of anticipation when a jury returns with a verdict, to the heartwarming smiles of family members when an adoption is finalized, your day is always interesting.

If you have a curious mind about the world around us, you are probably well suited for any field of court reporting. The court reporting profession provides the opportunity to learn a great deal about many different subjects.

Court reporting was definitely the best career choice for me, hands down. After all these years, I still love to go to work every day. And that's really what it's all about.

For More Information

The authors of this article are members of the Advanced Technology Committee of the Iowa Court Reporters Association (ICRA), If you would like information about a court reporting career in Iowa, please visit ICRA's website at www.iacra.org, or the website for the American Institute of Business (AIB) at www.aib.edu.

If you have any questions about the court reporting profession, where to find nationally accredited schools, career opportunities or information regarding the profession in general, contact the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) by calling 1-800-272-6272 or by visiting their web site at www.ncraonline.org.