So I do a lot of appellate transcription work for one of my clients. He mostly practices in courtrooms where there is NO court reporter present, only an audio recording. I strive to ALWAYS give him the best record possible. I have a significant amount of training in producing a record (since 1990) and also have multiple certifications. My vocabulary is pretty good and I'm usually a good internet sleuth. But as you all know (or should by now!), I definitely am beset by issues regarding technology.
Often these days I find that the recordings made in the courtrooms are not optimal. Sometimes I can create a really clean record with minimal notations of "indiscernible" in them; other times, I unfortunately have to put not only that designation in, but also note that there are recording malfunctions. I literally had NO intelligible recording for a closing argument once. It was sad but there was nothing I could do after the fact.
Whenever I run into these situations, I make sure to let all the parties know, including the judge, the courtroom clerk, the elected county clerk of court, and our AOC administrators. They need to know if there are problems so they may address them.
Also, I make sure that I price the work relative to how much more effort it will take as compared to if I had been in the courtroom in person to control the proceedings. I'm not going to transcribe something for LESS than my going rate for depositions or hearings. It is more. The time involved is often equated to 6 hours of transcription for every 1 hour of recording time (type, relisten, proof, spot listen, finalize). That equates to double or triple the amount of time it would take for me to edit any of my own take-down work.
In the end, we owe the parties the best record possible at a reasonable price for our effort AND we owe them full disclosure about the technological issues we encounter.
If you do transcription, be sure to ask if you can audit the audio for quality and leave room to increase your fee if the recording isn't as good as expected.
Happy transcription!
You all know I love giving back... and I've been speaking at the local law school for many years now, sharing with the students who will be future litigators how they can work WITH court reporters to create a truly excellent record.
I love doing this - and if you have the chance, please consider doing it in your area. The "baby" lawyers appreciated it and the next generation of court reporters will too!
We all love rituals - girls nights, massages, regular workouts... but what about our working rituals?
Do you have any that ease you into your productivity? Perhaps alleviate any anxiety?
Our job as a stenographer (or captioners) is filled with stressors and if we can develop rituals for ourselves to help limit those stresses, think how healthy, happy, and productive we can become?!
I love this profession... and I love sharing it. Wherever you are, in whatever period in your career you find yourself, be an amazing advocate! Introduce people to this incredible opportunity for someone who loves English, the law, computers, learning... Be the little pebble that creates the ripple in the pond!
