Court Reporters: 5 Reasons Why You Should Hire Them To Transcribe Audio Files
Transcribing an audio file is more difficult than you think. It does not only requires you to have a keen listening skill, you also need to be certified, properly trained, and highly experienced to be able to produce an accurate and complete transcribed end product. This is just one of the primary reasons why you should hire a certified court reporter when you need to transcribe an audio file. Do you have an audio file that needs to be transcribed? Regardless of whether you have an hour long audio file or perhaps a few minutes mobile device recording, you will need to hire someone who is proficient enough in transcribing. But the big question is: should you hire a transcriber or a certified court reporter? If you want a cheaper option, you can go hire a transcriber. However, if you want better quality and more accurate transcribed documents, you can choose to hire a court reporter.
Why choose to hire a court reporter over a transcriber? Although both professions have almost the same job descriptions, there are still a few distinct differences between the court reporter and the transcriber. Here are a few reasons why many people nowadays prefer to hire a professional court reporter in transcribing audio files. Training In order to become a certified court reporter, you will have to undergo and complete an intensive two to four years formal training program. The training usually includes coursework in legal procedures and terminology. Aside from that, you will also need to learn and master different techniques for verbatim transcription as well as to know how to properly use the steno machine. Most of the time, those who are enrolled in formal court reporting training course need to take and pass a standardized examination alongside the usual schooling program.
Keen Listening Skills
Aside from the extensive training they have gone through, court reporters are expected to have developed a keen listening skill through years of experience. They can easily decode the most unclearly uttered and difficult to understand words, synonyms, and homonyms. They can even be able to decipher both not-so-common and common colloquialisms and slang terms. Turnaround Time Court reporters are trained to work under pressure and in a timely manner. They are highly skilled in capturing the spoken words from an audio recording file and prepare an accurate and completed transcribed document which you can use right away. Expertise in Spelling
One of the important things that court reporters learn from both their years of training and experience is proper contextual spelling. They do not only have a broad knowledge and experience in distinguishing proper contextual spellings, they also have a wide collection of resources that they can use anytime whenever they need some help. They also know when is the most appropriate time to research and dig deeper into identifying the correct spellings from context. Accuracy and Reliability
Certified court reporters are bound by an ethical code of conduct which gives you the assurance that the transcribed file they will produce is accurate,
complete and highly reliable. Although the court reporter was not able to witness firsthand the time when the conversations or the spoken words were recorded, they can be able to clarify overlapping speaking, muffled speech, and even spellings by persistently and attentively listening to the audio file again and again. Because of the ethical code of conduct, you can be assured that the finished product is a certified transcript that constitutes an accurate verbatim stenographic record of the audio file.