Court reporters which are also known as court stenographers play a vital role in every legal proceeding, them being there are required for a few of these important reasons:
- A court reporter preserves every word that is spoken, creating a paper trail and written record of every word. Transcripts are an invaluable tool for lawyers and witnesses alike.
- Having an accurate transcript of everything that’s happened allows appeals judges and others to make decisions on cases. Without a court reporter at your deposition or hear it can be very difficult to prepare a record for appeal.
- They can serve as translators, reporters can often offer language and translation services. The benefits of having a multilingual reporter are understanding the legal impact words may have when translated.
- Court reporters can record speed at up to 225 words per minute and can show the difference between different speakers overlapping. Recordings and speech-to-text apps are not as reliable.
Court reporters are often overlooked when it comes to the grand scheme of things in a courthouse. But the transcripts that are generated by these recorders are reviewed by many different attorneys and judges outside of the court proceeding. Without court reporters, it would be impossible to control and preserve and record court proceedings that can present themselves within any trial. Court reporters also play a vital role for anyone who may be hard of hearing because they transcribe all of the words said into a readable text. A lot of court reporters use shorthand to take notes and to do that they would use a stenotype machine or steno mask or even electronic recordings. Many states also require those court reporters who work in legal settings must be licensed by a professional association.
Do You Need Court Reporters?
We provide audio transcription services of audio recordings from just about any media. Audio recordings do not provide the visual cues one gets when present for the event such as who the speakers are in the room. As well as the added visual cues one gets by being present when speakers change and a whole host of other visual cues that assist with a verbatim record. The source material for audio recordings is endless. Today we have digital and analogue file sources to create as a part of our transcription services for California.
We have hearings of all kinds recorded with electronic recording, some digital and some analogue. The other sources come from cell phones, videotaped trials, audiotaped trials, government hearings. Along with board of supervisor hearings, board meetings, police interviews or interrogations, witness statements, government hearings for licensing agencies. It really is an inexhaustible source of recordings. These recordings can be invaluable during court proceedings.
The process can be very time-consuming. If the proceedings are orderly, the sound quality is good, the court reporter can process the audio file quickly. However, the speed of any audio transcription services varies widely depending on the quality of the recording. Additionally, if there are overlapping conversations, background noise or ambient noise that impedes the ability of the court reporter to translate that spoken word into a printed record. If the clarity isn’t good from the audio source, that adds to the complexity of preparing a written transcript. Contact us today to get in touch.
