We’ve all seen the person in the corner of the courtroom, either in real life or in popular TV shows and movies, typing away everything that?s being said at an unbelievable speed. This person is known as a court reporter and they are one of the many important elements to deposition services. What they do may seem relatively easy, but it takes far more skill to record everything said in a courtroom (with perfect accuracy, no less) than most people might think. Knowing what these court reporters do, how they do it, and what is involved in qualifying them for work goes a long way to pay them the proper respects for their abilities.
1. Court reporting takes a lot of skill, but a short amount of time to be qualified.
This fact alone can make court reporting one of the most attractive career options in deposition services- and a good one at that, so long as one is prepared to learn! It is true, becoming certified for professional court reporting takes an average of 33.3 months, a little over two years. However, the minimum speed to become NCRA certified is 225 words per minute, which means students should be prepared to spend as many as 15 hours a week in practice with transcribing the spoken word. In addition to this, some certification programs may also require the ability to transcribe 200 jury charge words per minute and 180 literary words with at least 95% accuracy.
2. The field of court reporters continues to grow.
Out of all deposition services, court reporting is among the fastest growing even now. What might be surprising is the fact that 70% of nation?s court reporters don?t even work in the court proper, making this a profession that is more accessible to those who live far from their closest court of law. As of 2012 the total count of court reporters in the U.S. rounds out to about 21,200 in total and that number is expected to grow by 10% from 2012 to 2022.
3. Court reporters have a strong support system.
This is one profession that definitely has the means to look for its own. There are three official court reporting associations in the U.S.; The National Court Reporters Association (NCRA), the National Verbatim Reporters Association (NVRA), and the American Association of Electronic Reporters and Transcribers (AAERT). With all of these groups in existence, a court reporter would not be hard-pressed to find like-minded souls and people looking out for their best professional interests.
Court reporting is an essential, respectable profession and a great option for anyone who seeks a rewarding career.
