The captioning and court reporting professions are receiving national recognition as competitive and rewarding career opportunities. For those just learning about the field, take a look at some of its notable perks:
A specialized skill
- Captioners and court reporters convert the spoken word to text using a language called stenography.
- Students learn to write on a stenotype machine, which has just 22 keys.
- By spelling words phonetically, a trained stenographer can record more than 200 words per minute.
Job security
- The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts an increased need for captioners and court reporters over the next ten years.
- Captioners will be in especially high demand as the FCC requires the expanded use of captioning for television, the internet, and other technologies.
- The average median salary, according to the BLS, is $55,120 per year.
Flexibility
- Captioners and court reporters don’t just work in courtrooms. Stenographers are needed in sports arenas, television studios, theaters, universities, convention centers, and more.
- Career paths are versatile, providing structure for those who want it and flexibility for those who don’t.
A rewarding career
- Captioning and court reporting are professions that reward hard-working individuals focused on transcribing with speed, accuracy, and ethics.
- Since the FCC requires broadcast material to be captioned, more captioners are needed to work in positions from captioning live events to providing services to the deaf and hard of hearing.
- From presidential speeches to high-profile courtroom trials, the ability to caption and provide communication access to those with hearing loss is vital.