Court reporters play a vital role in the judicial process. But who court reporters really are, what do they do, and what services do they offer? Let us find out more about these here.

The court reporting industry is one of those industries in the world that have fallen into a norm over time. For some professionals in the legal world, hiring court reporters for legal matters seems to become drudgery and having them inside the court is a mere nuisance. This is partly because of the availability of new technological advances that are believed to be more effective and efficient.

The work of a court reporter is time-consuming and the services they offer are more expensive than simply using digital recording devices. The fact, however, is that these technological innovations (e.g. digital audio and video recording devices) can’t still replace the human court reporters no matter how sophisticated and advanced they are.

But who court reporters are, what do they do, and what services do they offer? Let us find out more about these here.

Who are court reporters?

A court reporter is someone who is sitting quietly in one corner of the courtroom who records everything that is being vocally spoken by the witnesses during court hearings. Other than court hearings, they also record everything that the speakers say during official events like a deposition or corporate meetings. They are regarded as guardians of records because of their impartiality.

Court reporters play a vital role in the judicial process. They are highly trained individuals who have completed years of formal education and extensive training. They also need to pass both local and state-regulated certifications before they can start their court reporting career.

They have a vast knowledge of vocabulary, medical terms, and legal jargon. Aside from completing a two-year course in court reporting, the court reporters in Atlanta GA are also required to have a typing speed of around 200 words per minute and a 97.5% overall accuracy rate. In order to type fast, they use a specialized typing machine called a stenography machine. This machine, also known as a steno-machine keyboard, is a compact laptop-like device that looks like a typical typewriter but with fewer keys. Instead of typing letter per letter, court reporters type syllable by syllable or in phonetic sounds. This allows them to catch up with what the speaker says. They are also trained to take accurate record despite all the nuisances and background noise inside the courtroom. This is something that recording devices cannot do.

What do court reporters do?

Court reporters in Georgia are trained to capture and convert spoken words into recorded information that can be read, searched, and archived. They also prepare the official transcript of proceedings. This record plays an important role in safeguarding the legal process. It also serves as the basis of the attorneys in preparing for trial or when making an appeal.

Aside from recording the words spoken during a legal proceeding, court reporters can also read back some important information in front of the court as needed. If the speaker is talking too fast, in a very low voice, or with a vague accent, the court reporter is allowed to interrupt and ask for clarifications before the speaker continues giving his testimony.

When there is also a loud background noise coming in that can affect the audibility of the speaker like for instance when an ambulance, police mobile, or fire truck with its siren on passes by, the court reporter has the right to ask the court to momentarily stop the testimony giving until the loud noise subsides.

What services do court reporters offer?

Court reporting services vary as per the court reporting firm. Aside from conventional court reporting services like taking records during deposition or legal process and preparing an official transcript of record afterward which is made available a couple of days after the proceeding, court reporters also offer expedited services. This service is much similar to the conventional court reporting service but with shorter turnaround time. For litigants or attorneys who need the transcript as early as right after the proceeding, they can opt for expedited services.

Apart from providing services inside the courtroom, court reporters also provide real-time voice-to-text translation and broadcast captioning services. These specialized services are tailored towards the needs of people who are deaf or have difficulties in hearing well. With the use of the latest technology, court reporters can also provide real-time court reporting services that provide the audience with live access to what the speakers say during a deposition or court trial.

Despite being readily available nowadays, technology is still not enough to replace human court reporters. However, integrating the latest technology in court reporting can further improve the services offered by court reporters.

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