A Trained Reporter Using the Latest Realtime Computer-Aided Transcription Processes Remains the Fastest, Most Accurate Way to Turn Spoken Information Into Readable, Searchable, Permanent Text They sit in the courtroom or the corner of your lawyer's office, silent, unobtrusive but absolutely essential. Who are they, and what are they doing?

Court reporters record the exact wording of speeches, conversations, legal proceedings, meetings and other events when written accounts of these oral events are needed for correspondence, records or legal proof. They are considered experts at gathering information, then saving it in such a way as to be accessible quickly by anyone who needs it. This ability to capture thoughts that are expressed as speech and to translate them into text is known as transmodalism; court reporters are transmodalists. They document all statements made in official proceedings using a special machine which allows them to press multiple keys at the same time to record combinations of letters representing sounds, words or phrases. The machine is called a stenographic machine or writer. It has 22 keys and, as the court reporter uses the machine, symbols appear on a narrow strip of paper, representing exactly what has been said. The symbols on this strip of paper are converted into English using either a typewriter/word processor, or a computer with special software, known as CAT(Computer Aided Transcription). The software makes it possible for the computer to create the English transcription at the same time the narrow strip of paper full of symbols is being created.

During the course of a legal or other proceeding at which a court reporter is working, the reporter may have to read aloud portions of what has been transcribed onto the steno machine. The judge or other official will instruct the court reporter to do this, if necessary. A court reporter will generally also have to prepare an official written transcript of the proceeding and make it available to whomever needs it, in printed and bound form. This may include the prosecuting and defense attorneys in a case, or other interested parties to the proceeding. The court reporter will also have to file the official transcript with the court.

Court reporters are always present at depositions, which are meetings, usually in lawyer's offices, at which parties to a dispute give their version of the facts, under questioning from attorneys representing the opposing side. Attorneys use deposition transcripts to prepare for trial; after trial, the attorney may use trial transcripts to prepare for appeal or other legal action. In high profile cases, official court reporters play an extremely important role. Criminal trials, celebrity divorces and government hearings all use court reporters to make the official record of the event, and the transcript becomes the basis for future proceedings. Because of all this, court reporters are generally considered to be essential legal professionals. They tend to be front and center at headline-grabbing cases that involve everyone from movie stars to corrupt politicians. They are also present through every minor case of small claims court in your local courthouse. Besides recording history, the technology used by a court reporter can keep a court case moving right along and on track.

Court reporters are considered officers of the court, just like a judge or lawyer. As such, they are key to the operation of the court and may make suggestions to judges about courtroom administration and procedures.