The National Court Reporters Association has designated February 6-13, 2013, as Court Reporter Appreciation Week. In our October 8, 2012, blog post, “Appreciating a Court Reporter’s Skill Sets,” we explained how court reporters use their steno machines to create a language, and how that stenographic language is then translated by computer software. What most people don’t realize is how much time is involved in the transcription process beyond the conference or courtroom.
On average, court reporters spend one to two hours of transcription, proofreading, printing, binding and billing time for every hour they spend reporting or “writing” the proceedings. That’s because the reporter’s software can translate only those words that have been previously programmed into his or her personally customized “dictionary.”
For most assignments, court reporters are not provided with comprehensive word lists in advance of proceedings, which may – slightly or significantly — increase the time it takes to transcribe the testimony. Since court reporters spend most of the day reporting, they generally spend their evenings and weekends transcribing. Ken Howell, (pictured at right), an official court reporter in Lawrence County, South Dakota, worked around the clock for nearly five months, reporting and transcribing a 4,325-page transcript.
Many court reporters hire “scopists” and/or proofreaders to complete the transcription, allowing the reporter to cover other assignments. In addition to paying the fees associated with scoping and proofreading, court reporters also assume other cost-of-doing business expenses, such as the purchase and maintenance of the steno machine, software with periodic updates, a personal computer and/or laptop, not to mention a printer, toner, and transcript binders.