Court reporters write verbatim transcripts of court proceedings, lectures, conversations, and any other spoken word that needs to be recorded. To work as a court reporter, you must have excellent listening skills as well as the ability to think and act quickly in order to ensure that important information is recorded correctly. Many court reporters work in courtrooms, but some also have private practices where they work freelance for attorneys taking depositions or businesses that need meeting minutes recorded for legal reasons. More work as close-captioned transcribers, creating real-time or recorded on-screen dialogue for the hearing impaired.
To work as a court reporter, you must first complete an academic program. The majority of academic programs used to be devoted to learning how to use a stenotype machine. The court reporter must learn phonetic combinations of keystrokes that represent a sound rather than a word spelling on these machines. The stenotype keyboard has a limited number of letters, and several keys are pressed at once, unlike a QWERTY keyboard, where each letter is pressed individually.
Though court reporters still devote a significant amount of time to learning the stenotype machine, which is akin to learning a new language, technology has altered many aspects of the profession. Most stenotype machines are now connected to computers rather than producing a paper printout. Close captioning is created in this manner, which eliminates the need for a court reporter to later translate the stenotype because the computer does so in real time. Many of the courses in today’s court reporter programs cover advanced technology used in various industries, some of which, like voice writing, are used instead of stenotype machines.
Although some new technology allows for on-the-job training, an accredited program of two to three years is required to become a court reporter certified by the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) with the designation of Registered Professional Reporter (RPR). In addition, a court reporter must pass a four-part exam and demonstrate an accurate speed of at least 225 words per minute. The RPR is an entry-level credential, and there are many more certifications available depending on the area of court reporting in which one wishes to work.
Registered Merit Reporter (RMR) and Registered Diplomate Reporter are two other certifications available (RDR). Certified Realtime Reporter (CRR), Certified Broadcast Captioner (CBC), and Certified CART Provider certifications are available for those interested in real-time tasks like closed captioning (CCP). She should pursue the Federal Certified Realtime Reporter (FCRR) title if she wants to work as a court reporter in federal courts.