Courts are the law bodies, where lots of cases are solved and filed daily. Every one seeks justice from these law bodies and it gets very difficult to remember the deals and proofs of various cases and sessions held in the court. In order to do fair dealings and provide justice to each and everyone, it is very important to have a record of all the activities taking place in the court hall.
Roles and Responsibilities
The professionals who are appointed for this task are known as court reporters. The court reporters’ duty is to be attentive during the sessions of the court and record the verbatim of the court, legislative assembly meetings, or other meetings. He or she is responsible to make a report on all the information, which has been passed in the court. The court reporter makes the report of the data in the written or electronic form. He or she transcribes records and maintains the important data that would help in solving cases in the court proceedings.
There are many methods or modes by which the recordings can be done at the court by the court reporter. The stenographic method is taken up, in which the data is reported by the steno type machine and the words through phonetic mode. The words then can be generated through sounds or syllable mode.
A new method has been introduced in which the steno type is connected to the computer and the word entered is displayed on the screen. Also a voice silencer is used, which is connected to the computer and ensures that the voice of court reporter is not heard. The electronic methods are used now, involving the audio aid, both analog and digital and preferred over other systems. Court operator job description now explains the qualifications and skills required along with the career growth in this field.
Qualification and Skills Required
Qualifications required
The person must be a graduate with bachelor degree in any field. Apart from this, there is a formal training for the students who desire to be court reporter. There are courses and training centers, which provides trainings in the field and certification, which makes the person a certified court reporter. These rules are set by the National Court Reporter Association (NCRA).
Careers growth
The court reporters are hired by courts and government agencies. Due to an increase in the closed caption and translating services, the need for court reporters has been raised to a huge level. So, the profession finds a great demand ahead. The salary scales are good but may vary for different agencies.
