Court reporters are an essential component in the legal world. They are trained professionals who use a special technique that involves converting the spoken word into information that’s accessible to others. A less common name is “guardians of the record,” they capture all the words spoken within a court proceeding or in other avenues that are explained below. In the legal world, they prepare transcripts, verbatim, of the proceedings to help create the least biased replication of spoken information possible. Lawyers, during the discovery phase of a trial, will use these records for preparation. They can also be used in sporting events and deliver translations to those who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Three different types of court reporters will be addressed below.
Officials
As one of the most commonly-known court reporters, they convert spoken word into text during courtroom procedures. They make the official verbatim transcripts that are utilized by litigants, judges, and attorneys. These court reporters are highly-trained professional individuals who are licensed and/or certified to record proceedings using a stenotype machine. Court reporters capture the spoken words in a phonetic code using a stenotype machine, with each line of characters representing a sound or syllable. From there the court reporter then translates the code into a formal written text to produce a final transcript. Court reporters are often used in an examination for discoveries and other legal proceedings.
Hearing/Electronic
These court reporters are responsible for using verbatim techniques and equipment to capture, transcribe, and retrieve trial and pretrial proceedings. This category also includes steno-captioners who are responsible for using computerized stenographic captioning equipment which arranges captions for both live and pre-recorded broadcasts.
Real-time
The difference between these reporters and others is that they’re trained specifically for broadcast captioning and real-time translation services, specifically for those who are hard of hearing and deaf. They provide near-instant translations. Overall, court reporters are used for a variety of different reasons; from the courtroom to sporting events. They are a very essential component in each avenue.
To book a court reporter for a meeting or a mediation, or even to discuss a court reporting position with On The Record, call one of our locations today, conveniently located in Whitby and Barrie. We look forward to discussing your court reporting or mediation needs.