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What Does a Court Reporter Do?

A court reporter is responsible for crafting written transcripts of the verbal dialogue in the courtroom. A court reporter is also known as a “stenographer” or “stenocaptioner” due to the special equipment they use (a stenotype). Stenographers transcribe sound to a specific phonetic code. Each line in the transcription is the equivalent of one syllable. A stenographer will transcribe various court proceedings as needed. They’re also responsible for preparing and proofreading transcripts (with the help of computer software). A court recorder can reach incredible typing speeds at rates over 225 words per minute.

Is a Stenographer the Only Kind of Recording a Court Uses?

No. Some courts use electronic recorders to record dialogue instead of live stenographers. These employees only need to learn how to operate the electronic equipment and have much lower training times than a classically trained stenographer.

What Kind of Education or Training Would I Need to Become a Court Reporter?

There are about 125-135 court reporter training programs in the country. Just over 60 of these programs are National Court Reporter’s Association (NCRA) certified programs. If you graduate from a program certified by the NCRA, you’ll be required to type at a minimum rate of 225 words per minute.

However, it takes at least two years to learn how to type in real-time (the rate of natural speech). Statistics show that it takes an average court reporters 33 months to learn real time stenographing.

What are Average Stenographer Saleries?

The NCRA reports that a court reporter’s average salary is $64,672, though these figures vary based on location, skill level, and experience.