Court Reporting and Captioning Week recognized in Congressional Record

February 15, 2013

The National Court Reporters Association, the country’s leading organization representing stenographic court reporters and broadcast captioners, has announced that Congressman Ron Kind of Wisconsin recognized National Court Reporting and Captioning Week and acknowledged “the hard work of court reporters and broadcast captioners nationwide” in the Congressional Record on February 14. The recognition comes as NCRA kicks off National Court Reporting and Captioning Week, which will take place February 17-23.

The awareness week pulls together a nationwide effort to highlight the contributions of stenographic court reporters and captioners to society and to showcase the career opportunities that exist in the court reporting and captioning fields.

“Court reporters and broadcast captioners have the unique skill of translating the spoken word into text to record history, preserve judicial proceedings, assist individuals who are deaf and hard-of-hearing with access to audio communications, and even capture the work of Congress in committees and on the floor of the House and Senate,” Rep. Kind noted. “They are truly the guardians of the record.”

Congressman Kind, who is married to an official court reporter, is well-known in the court reporting and captioning professions for his support of NCRA and their lobbying efforts.

“We were fortunate to spend time with Congressman Kind last year during NCRA’s legislative event on Capitol Hill,” said Tami Smith, president of NCRA and a court reporter for the 37th Circuit Court in Battle Creek, Mich. “Clearly, he identified during our visit that stenographic court reporting and captioning require an intricate blend of skill and knowledge. We are so grateful for his acknowledgement of National Court Reporting and Captioning Week and for all the hard-working professionals represented by NCRA.”

National Court Reporting and Captioning Week will be marked with educational events nationwide, including a grassroots social media campaign, presentations at high schools across the country about court reporting and captioning career opportunities, and community demonstrations such as producing transcripts of veterans’ oral histories.