How to Become a Real Time Court Reporter

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2 Table of Contents Introduction What is real time court reporting? Overview of Programs Career Opportunities Why Court Reporting at NYCI?

3 The Complete Guide to Introduc)on Once upon a time Some of the best written stories in the world begin with that phrase, and guess what? Some of the best success stories in the world begin with Once upon a time All written history is valuable because it tells us who we once were, how we became who we are and why. Those written records became references that have been studied and applied throughout history. Think about religious, political and scientific documents and books that were written long before modern history and how we still believe them to be helpful guides to life today. Real time Court Reporting opens doors to exciting career opportunities you may have only dreamed about. With 2 years of education, you can have the opportunity to work flexible hours and choose from interesting and well-paying jobs 3

4 What is Real Time Court Repor)ng? It s assumed the most common workplace setting for a real time court reporter is in the courtroom, but the skills learned in a court reporter educational program are needed in so many different settings. With an Associate Degree or Certificate in Court Reporting you can transfer your knowledge to many areas. The instrument used by a Court Reporter or CART Reporter is called a stenotype machine and the reporter writes word sounds (called phonemes) syllable by syllable. Real time Court Reporters use a stenotype machine to document statements. By pushing multiple buttons at once, the stenographer creates letter combinations that represent words, phrases and sounds. Those symbols are translated by computer and displayed as text. Other methods of capturing spoken word and transcribing it to written word include: Electronic Reporting - Audio equipment is used and reporters take notes, then work between the audio recording and the notes to create a written transcript. Voice Writing Reporting Reporters speak into a microphone that silences their voice so that people nearby cannot hear them. They must repeat everything in the room that is said by every person in the room, plus make notes about emotional reactions or hand gestures made. Afterwards, the voice reporter transcribes all of the records, then edits the transcripts to ensure the grammar and punctuation is correct. 4

5 What does a Real Time Court Reporter Do? By definition, a real time court reporter records and reports, verbatim proceedings of courts, political assemblies, committee meetings and other proceedings. Equipment used can be electronic or computerized recording equipment or stenography machines. Court reporters also take notes in shorthand. Computer-aided transcription is often used to translate the information into readable text. The court reporter provides these transcripts at the request of judges or lawyers using an established, formal format and, if appropriate, provides the transcripts to the public. In addition to a standard stenotype machine, some court reporters will use an audio transcription machine. (Audio transcription is often used to make the contents of online audio files more accessible to Internet users, which increases traffic to a company s website.) The Associate of Occupational Studies (AOS) degree for real time court reporters/stenographers, had, in 2012, opportunity for a 125% income growth, based on Bureau of Labor statistics (BLS). By 2014, BLS-reported mean annual wage for stenographic court reporters was $55,000 with many earning more based on experience and area of the country. Flexible Work Hours Real time court reporters can work full-time, part-time, days, evenings, weekends and part-time at home. Workplace settings for real time court reporters include courtrooms, attorneys offices, corporate boardrooms, business meetings, entertainment venues, television networks and government. A court reporter s professionalism and ability to protect the privacy of others is critical; you will be guarding information that is not yet accessible by the general public, particularly during closed trials and government procedures. A real time court reporter or hearing reporter may have opportunities to work at: Attorney s offices Government offices and events Home office or freelance Non-courtroom legal procedures Political conventions and events Schools Sports gatherings and entertainment venue events 5

6 Overview of Real Time Court Repor)ng Programs Real Time Court Repor)ng Associates Degree The typical AOS Court Reporter degree will usually require 72 credits. To successfully complete this program, you must: Pass 3 five-minute tests with 95% accuracy at 225 words per minute (listening and transcribing 2 voices), 200 wpm (jury charge), and 180 wpm (literary). Complete a 135-hour internship; 100 of those hours must be actual writing time. Transcribe a simulated Registered Professional Reporter (RPR) skills test at required speed levels in 3½ hours. Pass 1 five-minute keyboarding test at 45 wpm with 5 or fewer errors. By the end of the required course of study, you will be knowledgeable about all aspects of entry-level Court Reporting, including Court Reporting and specialized terminology, courtroom dictation when there are two or more speaking voices and computer-assisted transcription. Students in a Court Reporting AOS program can expect to take some of the following courses: Stenotype Theory English for Court Reporting Legal Terminology Courtroom Procedures Stenotype I, II, III and IV Advanced Court Reporting 6

7 Real Time Hearing Reporter Cer)ficate The typical Real Time Hearing Reporter certificate usually requires 60 credits. To successfully complete this program, you must: Pass two testimony tests at 180 wpm. Pass one jury charge test at 180 wpm. Pass one literary test at 160 wpm. By the end of the required course of study, you will be prepared for an entry-level position as a Real Time Hearing Reporter, knowledgeable and with a proficiency in several areas, including: Freelance reporting and testimony transcriptions. Composition practices. Critical-thinking abilities. Simulated courtroom proceedings. Technical and medical language dictation. The Certified CART Provider (CCP) exam is given by the NCRA. In order to take the exam, you must take a 2-part test, which consists of a 90-minute, 100-question Written Knowledge Test (WKT) and a Skills Test (SKT). During the SKT, you will demonstrate proficiency in setting up and operating your recording equipment, write real time for five minutes, 180 wpm with 96% accuracy, and convert your file to an ASCII text file. Students in a Real Time Hearing Reporter Certificate program can expect to take some of the following courses: Stenotype Theory English for Court Reporting Legal Terminology Courtroom Procedures 7

8 Associate of Occupa)onal Science Degree vs. Hearing Cer)ficate What s the Difference? The difference lies in the direction you want to go. Real Time Court Reporters and Hearing Reporters use the same equipment and software. A stenotype court reporter must pass a three tests at 180, 200, and 225 wpm, respectively. A Real Time Hearing Reporter must pass a test at 180 wpm and a CART reporter must test at 225 wpm with a 96% accuracy in uncorrected, instant translation. Real Time Court Reporters primarily though not exclusively work for judges, attorneys, in courtrooms and deposition rooms. Real Time Hearing and CART reporters primarily though not exclusively work as Freelance Reporters and in any medium that is utilized by deaf or hearing-challenged people. What s consistent is their ability to accurately record the spoken word. Court reporters are often paid per appearance; their product is the complete record that is sold to clients. CART reporters may charge an hourly fee for their real time translation. For them, transcripts aren t the main product; their live feeds (real time translation) are their offering. Large media events (particularly political) often hire a court reporter for the transcript and a CART reporter for the hearing impaired. Ideally, of course, the CART reporter s real time feed will be a perfect match for the court reporter s transcript. As a Real Time Court Reporter, with an AOS Degree, you will be qualified for entry-level jobs such as: Court Stenographer Deposition Reporter Freelance Court Reporter Grand Jury Court Reporter Official Court Reporter Closed Captioner CART Provider Those with a Real Time Hearing Reporter Certificate will be seeking entry level positions as a Freelance Court Reporter and could eventually be directing his or her career path toward broadcasting and closed captioning for the hearing impaired. As a certified Real Time Hearing Reporter, you will be qualified for entry-level jobs such as: Freelance Court Reporter Grand Jury Court Reporter Webcaster CART Provider 8

9 Career Opportuni)es The Bureau of Labor Statistics divides the major working venues for court reporters into local, state and federal government; business support and motion picture/video industries. The BLS also reported 2014 average annual wages at $55,000 for entry-level real time court reporters and up to $94,140/year for some areas in the U.S. If you want to live and work in New York, you ll most likely be at the top of the earning pyramid for certified Real Time Court and Hearing Reporters. The National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) indicates the need for court reporters will exceed the supply by The current demand for educated court and hearing reporters will only increase and with the predicted shortage, you can be one of the leaders in this fascinating and diverse career. According to the NCRA, court reporting is a career path with above-average job security and earning potential, as compared to its more traditional counterparts. With opportunities for court reporters on the rise, students who graduate will hold more than a piece of paper they ll hold a job. 9

10 The Difference between Judicial, Grand Jury and Freelance Court Reporters A Judicial Real Time Court Reporter s duties will always vary depending on the court and case. Some Judicial Stenotype Court Reporters also perform administrative duties, like billing, ordering or mailing transcripts and tracking financial expenses or other record-keeping for administrative purposes. Primarily, the duties of a Judicial Real Time Court Reporter include: Producing verbatim stenotype, stenomask, or shorthand records of proceedings. Being consulted during the trial to read-back, aloud, what was said and by whom. Edit, fact-check and complete transcripts of the court proceedings, then maintain accurate records and reports and required. Meet deadlines required by judge and/or attorneys. Reading back testimony in court proceedings. Grand Jury meetings are completely confidential. When you sit on a Grand Jury case, you ll see that there is no judge present. There is a prosecutor, defendant, jury and court reporter present. The jury must be between members, and at least 12 must agree to an indictment of the defendant, or the case is no true bill. 21 U.S. states, including New York, employ some form of grand jury proceedings. In New York, for example, a felony complaint provides the defendant with the right to have the felony prosecuted by a grand jury indictment, and sometimes the stenograph court reporter generates a grand jury report that is a transcription of the case and the jury s recommendation for punishment. The court reporter s records are usually sealed. This is why the integrity of court reporters work must be accurate but also protected from the public. Freelance Court Reporters do exactly that they select which jobs to take and may do some of their work from their home office. While some Real Time Court Reporters work in courthouses 5 days a week, eight hours a day, the Freelance Court Reporter sets his or her own schedule. This is a great option for reporters who are busy with family and personal commitments. Once your reputation as a dependable, accurate and ethical court reporter is established, you ll be able to pick and choose your jobs. 10

11 CART Reporter and Closed- Cap)oning Real Time Hearing Reporter Career Opportuni)es No matter what the job title or where it is located, court reporters and captioners can type written words as fast as they are spoken and most use Computer-Aided Translation (CAT) instead of traditional paper to create a historical record. The BLS published a paper titled, From court Reporting to Webcasting: The New Millennium. It discusses how some stenotype court reporters never actually work in a courtroom setting. Captioners who create a written record using court reporter techniques are considered court reporters by the BLS. If the stenographer sends real time transcripts directly to readers screens (television, jumbotrons, etc.), that process is Communication Access Realtime Transcription (CART). With laws in place that ensure all people have the right to access the same information as non-hearing impaired, the demand for CART, Closed Captioners and Webcasting Captioners is on the rise. Large venues, television networks, classrooms, government or corporate meetings all of these situations require a CART reporter who is up-to-date with changing technology. The Houston Chronicle puts an entry-level salary for captioners and CART reporters at $60,000 in 2014, with the highest salaries available in New York. Webcasting is now covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act; this is an offshoot of closed captioning that is greatly in demand for music concerts and internet sites, like YouTube. 11

12 Why Court Repor)ng at NYCI? New York Career Institute is the only NCRA approved school of its kind to offer the AOS degree in Court Reporting and the Real Time Hearing Reporter Certificate in New York City. With small classes, flexible schedules, and instructors who are professional court reporters, Court Reporting students have an advantage that other schools programs cannot match. During your program of studies, when it s time for your internship, you ll find yourself in an interesting and high-profile workplace, where you ll get the experience that will effectively transfer to your new career. As you near completion of your program, your career counselor will work with you to investigate career paths and opportunities however, many of our Court Reporting students receive job offers before they graduate. That s because our reputation for the best entry-level court reporters is well known here in New York City and surrounding areas. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, New York is one of the U.S. states with the greatest need for court reporters, so it s no surprise that the New York is also among the states with the highest wages. Annual earnings range from $61,950 to $88,420+. You could begin earning that salary as soon as 20 months from now, depending on your class schedule. NYCI offers several undergraduate programs, but our first career focus was stenotype. It was 1941 when the School of Stenotype Exclusively opened its doors. The school began offering the Associate in Occupational Studies degree and Court Reporting Certificate in 1982, and in 1988, additional courses of study were offered in other fields, so the name was changed to New York Career Institute to reflect its addition of Medical Office Administration and Paralegal programs. NYCI is accredited by the New York State Board of Regents and the Commissioner of Education, approved by U.S. Department of Education to provide Title IV financial aid to eligible students, approved by the National Court Reporters Association, approved by the New York State Education Department for the training of Veterans, authorized by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for Non-Immigrant Alien Students and a member of the National Court Reporters Association. Our faculty is comprised of dynamic, enthusiastic instructors with proven records of positive, engaged classroom experience. New York Career Institute is also recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and a member of the National Court Reporters Association. Learn how you can make your future brighter as a court reporter by scheduling an appointment with an NYCI Admissions Advisor. Meet with an Admissions Advisor 12

13 New York Career Ins)tute 11 Park Place New York, NY (212)