Court Reporter Training
The court reporting profession is critical to the judicial court system. Court reporters are responsible for creating verbatim transcripts if different kinds of legal proceedings. It is essential to have an accurate record because these transcripts serve as the official record of the trial, deposition, or other meeting or event that is being documented.
Court reporter training (sometimes called court stenographer training) can be obtained by earning a degree from more than 100 colleges across the country. Since you may not live within commuting distance, many of those programs offer online training.
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Court Reporter Training Knowledge & Skills
It is important for court reporters to have a wide variety of knowledge and skills. Your court reporter training will educate you on all of the required elements needed for you to be successful. You will learn machine shorthand and will also study the many other electronic devices that are used today in the court reporting profession. Your training will begin with learning how to use the machines and then the focus will shift to improving your accuracy and your speed.
It is also critical for you to have strong skills related to the English language and a very large vocabulary. You will also study technical terminology with a special emphasis on the judicial system and the medical profession because many court reporters will work within these specialties.
Court reporter training typically includes two different kinds of classes. You will have classroom activities where the focus will be on language, writing and terminology and there will also be hands-on experience using the various machines. It is imperative to your success to be both accurate and fast on each of the machines.
There are many different kinds of court reporters and your training will teach you to become proficient at all of them. Traditional court reporters use a steno machine. This is the machine most people think about when they talk about court reporters. It is like a typewriter that does shorthand. It has keys like a typewriter, but there are not as many keys. Another key difference is that multiple keys can be pushed at the same time to represent words, phrases or sounds.
Real-Time Training
If your court reporting training includes real-time training, you will learn how to connect the steno machine to a computer. This will allow the symbols and letters from the steno machine to be translated to words in real time.
Electronic Reporting
Electronic reporting is another method of court reporting and it uses audio equipment to make a record of the proceedings. The court reporter ensures a quality recording and identifies the parties who are speaking.
Training For Certification
Court reporter certification is frequently required and there are many different levels available. RPR (Registered Professional Reporter) is a standard certification that most people start with, although each state sets it’s own requirements. There are additional certifications available showing a higher level of proficiency and for more specialized areas. Adding more advanced certifications will help you develop your career more quickly, they will make you more employable and will allow you to continue to advance your career and earn more money.
The Future of Court Reporting
Court stenographer training that starts with a court reporting degree and it will get you started in your career. The employment outlook is very bright and the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects an increase of job opportunities of 18 percent between 2008 and 2018.