My court reporting class, thus far ...

[May1010]

I had my midterm in my court reporting Theory I class. I scored 90%. I'm writing at about 30 words per minute. Don't laugh, it's hard! he he he

I went to a music store this afternoon and bought a metronome. Unfortunately, its lowest setting is 40 bpm so I can't use it yet.

If anyone is interested in knowing how to write their name in court reporting shorthand (aka "steno"), let me know:

Here're are a few:

Me (Loren) HROEREPB
Johnny SKWRAUPB/SWKAOE
Warik WAR/*EUBG
Drew TKRAOU
Wes Wes (He's easy)
Scott SKAUT
Blair PWHRAEUR


Yeah, this is a stupid post. I know.

 

[Badkins21]

Congrat's on the *A*

And thanks for thinking of me with the name thing...BUT, I have to ask: Why does it take more letters to write most names in "shorthand?"

Good luck with the rest, bro'!!

 

[May1010]

Well, let's see:

Your name, Blair, is PW-HR-A-EU-R. Your name in English has 5 letters, whereas in steno, it has 8. However, when you type your name in English, you make 5 strikes on the keyboard. When you diagram your name in steno, you do it in one strike. That is, you hit all 8 letters at the same time.

Also, because there is no initial-B on the steno, we use PW as initial-B. Also, there is no initial-L, so we use the HR combination as initial-L. Finally, there is no "I" on the steno machine, so we use the EU combination to mean an "I".


Piece of cake!

 

[JohnnyO]

that sounds horribly complicated ..

 

[May1010]

that sounds horribly complicated ..

You know, it's something new to learn. I like it so far. Besides, it beats the shit out of public accounting. I miss my job, that is, being employed, but I hated what I did. I think this court reporting thing is going to work out well for me. I just have to get up to 225 words per minute for my license!

 

[dunkin]

That sounds hard bro. Your a smart dude should have no problems

 

[Badkins21]

That's really interesting...just like learning a foreign language.

Props to you for saying "What the f*ck" and doin' your own thing, man

 

[Warik]

Warik WAR/*EUBG

Haha, losers! My name has an asterisk in it and none of yours do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Would you care to provide me with a detailed explanation as to why Warik is not spelled WARIK? =) and why do I get an asterisk? Am I special or something?

Dude, you have to get up to 225 wpm just for a license? That's insane. I didn't know people could TALK that face. I can only type about 120wpm... but my words are actually legible by normal people, so I guess it's a fair tradeoff for the speed.

I have a question, though. Why hasn't the court system switched to using some form of voice recording device or voice-to-text software instead of court reporters? I would assume that recordings would be cheaper (i.e. almost free) and easier to review and stuff than sifting through your cryptic steno language, ya know?

-Warik

 

[May1010]

Warik,


1. Your name in English, W-A-R-I-K requires two strokes. Hence, it is W-A-R / I-K. The "IK" is the second stroke. The second stroke takes an * because to tell the software that the "IK" is "attached" to the WAR part. However, you are special in your own right too.

2. Your name is not diagrammed in steno as it is in English, i.e. W-A-R-I-K, because there is no I, and no final-K on the keyboard. Instead, we use EU for "I" and BG for "K". Hence, your name is diagramed:

W-A-R / *EU-BG



3. Generally, people speak at about 140-150 wpm. However, as you know, some people speak faster, upwards of 180 wpm. The states of Nevada and California, where I plan to sit both exams, require you to pass speed tests of 200 words per minute. However, the national exam requires 225. An interesting point for you, inasmuch as you live in Florida, is that Florida does not require a license to be a court reporter.


4. Voice-recognition systems are not yet capable of handling multiple speakers and much of what the software interprets comes out as "unillegible". The technology simply isn't here yet. It will be many many many years before it might be feasible to have anything but a court reporter. It's actually more complicated than that but that's the short version.

As for sifting through cryptic steno language, that's not really done. Your steno machine, which costs about $6,500 dollars has a disk drive in it. It records what you record on your paper. The steno machine is connected to a lap top. Your software, which starts at $4,000, reads the data and converts into English. You then proofread for accuracy. Again, it's more complicated than this but I've given you the overall picture.


Thanks for asking!

 

[Warik]

Welcome. Thanks for the info.

-Warik

 

[May1010]

bump for MP5 ... think about court reporting? It pays really really really well.

 

[MP5]

That sounds pretty damn tough. It would be fun to sit in and hear all the court cases though. How in the world did you decide on a career as a court reporter? I have never even thought about court reporters yet you are pursuing it.- TKRAOU

 

[May1010]

Well, I got fired from my job. I didn't want to continue doing the same thing. I talked to my cousin who is a court reporter in Orange County, California.

Her base salary is $76,000. (Starting salary is just slightly less, about $73,000.) On top of that, she (not the courts) own the rights to sell transcripts. Transcripts are sold to interested parties, e.g. attorneys, at $6 to $7 per page. Last year, she made $180,000. She bought a brand new home and drives a 2001 Mercedes.

When I was in college, I used to go down to the courthouse and watch trials if I had long breaks between classes. I was always interested in that kind of stuff. I'm a news junkie and tend to be interested in criminal cases as they can be very interesting (as you noted).

My cousin, after 10 years, says going to court reporting school is the best decision she ever made. She also had a B.A. in Business. She loves her job. It's also a civil servants position with great benefits.

I'm doing my court reporting program in 18 months. Think about it. You can do what I did, move back home and just go to school. There is only one school in Colorado. It is:

Denver Academy of Court Reporting
7290 Samuel Drive
Denver, Colorado

303-427-5292



Honestly speaking, the more I learn about this profession, the more attractive it becomes. Think about it!

 

[MP5]

wow, maybe i will look into it. Do you have to be gay to do it? Maybe I can be the token straight court reporter!

 

[May1010]

very funny.

 

[May1010]

Crazy1,

I'm not going by what the school told me. I'm making a calculated decision based on what my cousin, a court reporter, has told me about her court's experiences with trying to automate the process and articles that I've read in the Journal of Court Reporting.

Your dad would be an excellent resource for you to discuss this with.

I say go for it. Let me know what you decide.


P.S. School is not difficult on an intellectual level but it is time consuming as hell. The only way to understand how to write and to get fast is to sit at the machine. It's a big committment.

Best of luck to you.

 

[dawgslappa]

My wife goes to your school.

 

[softballgirl]

Hey May!!!
I've been going to court reporting school here in dallas for about 4 1/2 years!!!! yea, that's right...lol
And let me tell ya'...it's some HARD SHIAT!!! I think this is actually the hardest thing I have EVER done in my life.
Good for you on your test!!! That's great.
I made it up to the 200's in exactly 2 years and then got realllllly burned out, so I took a leave of absence (mistake) for 3 months then had to take another 2 months off for some personal stuff...ANYWAYS...When I went back, I had to go BACK down to 160 (talk about pissed). But I only had to pass HALF of the requirements...Well, this week we go back after a whole week off and i'm in the 200's again.
I can't decide between freelance reporting or captioning. Has your school talked to you about that?
They pay reallllllyyyy good too....
I'm thinking about doing that, so I can work from home.
That's a big plus....
Keep me posted on your progress....I'd love to hear how you're doing. GOOD LUCK!!! It's gonna' be a tough
road, but just keep at it and remember to PRACTICE as much as possible.

 

[softballgirl]

May -
Which machine are you using?
Which software do they push at your school?
Any particular one?

 

[May1010]

May -
Which machine are you using?
Which software do they push at your school?
Any particular one?

I have a Stenograph 400 ST (I'm electric baby!)


The school uses Eclipse.

 

[May1010]

May - Just curious. What is the guy to girl ratio in your school?
--

As for guys, there are 2 of us. As for girls, there are over a hundred. Many of the girls are cocktail waitress here in Vegas.

 

[HamsterHider]

Well then package opener hook me up with a cocktail waitress