Court reporters are considered “guardians of the record” as they collect and preserve every word spoken during proceedings in court, depositions, or other legal occasions that must be recorded. These highly-skilled professionals have extensive knowledge of language, terminology associated with numerous industries, and modern court reporting technology so that they can do their jobs in the best and most efficient way possible.
The most critical aspect of a court reporter’s job entails capturing proceedings in shorthand on a stenotype machine. This takes years of academic study and skills training, which leaves them able to type at speeds of up to 280 words per minute. These reporters must be able to catch every word and are required to do so with an accuracy of around 95 percent.
Only a well-qualified person can serve as a court reporter, which makes them hard to find. This is a service that cannot be forgotten as it is no more than someone sitting in court typing up a record. Keep reading to see why the court reporting process is still so important today.
Court reporting was pronounced a doomed field as early as the 1970s. Often seen as a quiet observer, they only become visible if a proceeding is appealed. Their record is reviewed by a higher court to either enforce or reverse the judgment, which is why this job cannot be done by just anyone. The difference in the placement of even a single word can change the entire outcome of a trial. An accurate and complete record of proceedings is essential. Here’s why:
It helps attorneys prepare for their trial
Court reporters sit in on legal depositions to document everything the witness or expert says making a manuscript that is easy to read for attorneys and other legal bodies. Attorneys can then reference the transcript to help them build their case before going to trial.
Safeguards Of The Legal Process
As a completely impartial third party, they give the most trustworthy account of proceedings. After capturing the spoken word in shorthand, they then prepare a verbatim transcript for others to read. This becomes the official legal record of everything that happens in the courtroom.
Have access to an accurate record during the appeals process
If someone wants to appeal a decision they will need to present the transcript to the appeals court. This is why a standardized reporting process is so important. It ensures that every case has an accurate record.
Real-time Voice-to-text Transcription
By using the latest technology available, court reporters are now able to provide attorneys, judges, etc with immediate access to a transcript of what is being said. Professionals at www.phippsreporting.com stress the importance of having highly-trained specialists that operate this special software. New software can convert the shorthand on a stenotype into fully written words and can deliver them to a computer screen seconds after the phrases have been spoken. This makes it easier to refresh everyone’s memory after returning from recess and allows everyone to participate in the judicial process.
Influence The Outcome Of The Trial
As long as court reporters are well-versed in their technologies, they can make a real difference in the trials they record. Transcript accuracy is very important to the success of any case, and high-quality court reporting services ensure no errors or misunderstandings get in the way of justice being served.
In The Age Of Digital Recording Technology, Why Do We Still Use Court Reporters?
The simple answer is that the complexity of the court reporter’s duties and responsibilities still require the adaptive capabilities of a human mind and not just a machine that can recognize different voices. These complexities include recording the spoken word rather than background noises, the ability to read back testimony immediately upon request, understanding the foreign pronunciation of a witness with an accent, stopping the attorneys when they speak over each other, asking and discerning when a statement is on or off the record, etc.
Audio recordings are unreliable and there have been instances in which portions of a trial get completely lost due to muffled or inaudible speech. Many times attorneys speak over each other, creating a tangle of words difficult to decipher. In these situations, a court reporter can intervene and protect the record.
Although the existence or nonexistence of court reporters may not seem all that important, the disappearance of court reporters would seriously degrade the quality of the justice system. We must be careful when regarding the status we give to technology, especially when it comes to matters as sensitive as legal issues.