WHAT EQUIPMENT DO REPORTERS USE?

Reporters use computers and a specialized machine called a stenotype to do their job. The stenotype enables reporters to write words by their sound rather than how they are spelled letter by letter. This allows them to write much faster than they can on a standard computer keyboard. A technology called computer-aided transcription, CAT, electronically links the stenotype to a computer, which translates the reporter’s notes into English text that can be researched, corrected, telecommunicated, stored on CD-ROM or other computer media, integrated with an audio or video file- or simply printed out in a conventional or condensed-format transcript. CAT makes the work of preparing a transcript easier and faster. More important, the computer-based transcript is a powerful tool for the attorneys and an aid to the judge. They can search the transcript for reference to specific names or words that come up during the proceeding.

This is an example of a court reporter’s stenotype notes with English translation.