Job Description
A stenographer’s work involves 3 main activities: “live” transcription of hearings, transcription of audio recordings and revision and finalizing of transcripts.
Most stenographers work on their own, but sometimes they work as part of a group of stenographers in a shared office space. Stenographers get assignments from many different clients, especially lawyers. Their place of work changes depending on the client: they must go wherever an assignment takes them, whether it be the courthouse, a law firm or a company.
“Live” Transcription
When a stenographer makes note of what is being said during a hearing in real time, we call this “live” transcription. Thanks to modern technology, many courtrooms now have audio recording equipment, which means stenographers are not required to do this as often. This art form has not been totally lost though: stenographers still do live transcriptions for statements given outside of court (for evidence purposes), for negotiations, for mediations, and in smaller courts and tribunals that do not have audio recording systems.
As you can imagine, it’s rare that anyone speaking slows down just because a stenographer is in the room! To deal with this, stenographers doing “live” transcription use a special code for language that allows them to write as fast as possible. There are now computers with specialized keyboards and software that translate this code back into the language in which it was spoken.
As you can imagine, it’s rare that anyone speaking slows down just because a stenographer is in the room! To deal with this, stenographers doing “live” transcription use a special code for language that allows them to write as fast as possible. There are now computers with specialized keyboards and software that translate this code back into the language in which it was spoken.
Transcription of Audio Recordings
Even if stenographers are doing fewer “live” transcriptions in courtrooms, they are still responsible for transcribing audio recordings of hearings upon request. This written record is important when a judge or lawyer needs to go back to check, for example, whether a witness account of what happened stayed the same throughout the trial, or to fill in blanks when it’s hard for people to remember exactly what took place during a hearing months later.
Revision and Finalizing of Transcripts
Where do official stenographers work?
After the written transcription has been prepared, the stenographer goes back to check it for accuracy and to fix any mistakes. The final copy is called the “transcription of stenographic notes”, and it cannot have any errors since important decisions are made based on this record. Stenographers have to be diligent, unbiased and careful not to put words in to the mouths of people. Otherwise, there can be serious consequences for people involved in a case.
The final version of the transcripts might be given to a judge so she can refer to them when making decisions or writing her judgments. For a fee, it can also be given to the parties to a case or their lawyers.
The final version of the transcripts might be given to a judge so she can refer to them when making decisions or writing her judgments. For a fee, it can also be given to the parties to a case or their lawyers.
Most stenographers work on their own, but sometimes they work as part of a group of stenographers in a shared office space. Stenographers get assignments from many different clients, especially lawyers. Their place of work changes depending on the client: they must go wherever an assignment takes them, whether it be the courthouse, a law firm or a company.
