A court reporter uses various machines like a stenotype, a computer and a stenomask to assist in the ease of day-to-day court proceedings. A court reporting program includes training in English skills, legal and medical terminology transcription and much more. During the course of the program one would be made aware of courtroom and deposition procedures, closed captioning, computer aided transcription, real-time reporting and word processing.
The overall duration of the course would be over 33 months.
A stenomask is one of the various machines the court reporter makes use of in his daily dealings.
A stenomask is a mask covering the mouth of the speaker, and it is equipped with a built-in microphone. The purpose of a stenomask is twofold:-
a) It permits a person to speak without being heard by other people.
b) It muffles the background noise in the court.
The Stenomask was developed by Horace Webb and two of his colleagues in 1940.Horace Webb sought a faster and accurate system of transcription as he had experienced that shorthand notes could become unmanageable with fast talkers or with difficult terminology. Also, till recently, shorthand reporters would verbally dictate transcription notes into typewritten form resulting in approximately two hours dictation for every hour of transcription. The need to repeat with a voice in lieu of a pen resulted in the invention of a stenotype. It would be amusing to note that the final result of all his experiments was by using a rubber Air Force face mask paired with a coffee pot filled with a sound absorbing material. The US Navy declared the product to be the most accurate method of transcription among all known systems of 'verbatim reporting', and, subsequently it was adopted by them for court reporting.
Interestingly, more than half of the states in the US prohibit the use of a stenomask!
The newer versions of the Stenomask are more light weight, and conform to the 'moose-mask' design.
The method of court reporting known as voice writing was formerly known as the Stenomask System. Voice reporters have since long been available to make a record of the court proceedings through the use of a stenomask with a 'voice silencer' and analog tapes. Voice writers not only repeat every word uttered by the attorneys, witnesses, judges and other parties in a proceeding but also verbally identify the speaker.The text is punctuated; activities described as they occur and in certain instances even the exhibits are marked.
In the present day, with the cutting edge of technology that is available in the form of speech recognition CAT systems, a court reporter has the improved facility of the spoken word instantly transformed into text on a computer or a laptop. The resultant effect is that a voice writer is now at ease to produce real-time text feeds within a courtroom, and download them in an ASCII format for distribution immediately on conclusion of the court proceedings.Digital recordings offer a clear and well-defined sound track. Thus, they make transcription easier and more accurate.
A stenomask reporter is the next generation of court reporters. With carpal tunnel problems plaguing many court reporters, the stenomask is a great alternative to save the wear and tear on your hands. Visit our website at http://www.howtobecomeacourtreporter.info/ to find out more information on how to become a stenomask reporter
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