New Professional FAQs

• If you're coming to captioning from court reporting, realize that your role as the captioner is not the same as a court reporter. You are not the guardian of the record; you are an interpreter. You don't have the luxury of stopping the proceedings if you have technical difficulties or to ask for people to speak one at a time, and you will use the exclamation point when deemed necessary. 
• Sometimes it's appropriate to indicate HOW someone said something. For example, consider the parenthetical [sarcastically] and [whispering]. Some captioners will write what is spoken in all caps, such as when the professor GOT VERY EXCITED AND SPOKE LIKE THIS. 
• In the case of slower speakers, it might be necessary to capitalize each letter and include a period between each word, for example, someone who Speaks. Like. This. The periods in between words reflect the speaker’s specific cadence.
• Flavor adds to the utility of captions, if time permits.
• Aggressively work on your dictionary, and practice things like the periodic table, world countries and their capitals, names of current and new political leaders, and other such categories.
• Know that the work is important. Captioners and CART providers are the mechanism for language access.
• CART providers help students complete school, help conference attendees access information their peers have access to equally, help patients understand their medical providers, and so much more.
• Honor the importance of the role and prepare for each topic as much as in advance of the article as possible.

• Learn about Deaf culture. Know the difference between Deaf, deaf, and hard-of-hearing. Accurate, fast steno writing is a critical piece, but only one piece, of providing captioning. 
• Consider taking an intro to ASL course taught by a Deaf person. Learn about and be culturally sensitive to the deaf and hard of hearing cultures.
• Turn on the captions on your streaming services and keep them on.
• Consider finding a mentor who actively captions. NCRA has a mentorship program and most captioners welcome a chance to share their lived experiences.
• Know your dictionary well and be able to finger-spell and have word pieces such as prefixes and suffixes defined properly; get rid of one-stroke legal briefs if they’re similar to how you stroke words to avoid confusion for the consumer.
• Everyone makes mistakes when things get fast, and speakers get fast in academia and in media, so ensure your dictionary will set you up for success.
• Learn your software. Robust CAT software costs money. Know what features you have and how to use them to support you when you have stacks or hear unfamiliar technical jargon, and research your phonetic tables and mistranslation options for optimal output.
• Practice finger spelling.
• Use your CAT software brief generators to make realtime easier.
• Have an easy way for speaker identification.
• Learn how to use realtime macros.
• Consider a CART training program, boot camp, etc.
• Learn about different delivery methods. Different clients will prefer different methods of receiving captions.

The variety of jobs, helping clients, and seeing the direct impact captioners and CART providers have on language access and equality, and the opportunity to constantly learn new things.

The variables we can't control, like poor audio feed on remote jobs or loud noises around you while on site. Life happens. People need captioning in informal settings, so you hone in on your speakers and do the best you can to adjust your volume, location, etc.

Ask for preparation materials and build a job dictionary. If you don’t receive preparation materials, ask again. Nothing is more aggravating than asking for prep, being told there is none, and then having a presenter read fast from a paper for 10 minutes.

• It depends on the job. If it’s a scripted gala or a play, you might have to do substantial surgery on it to make sure you can output in small appropriate chunks.
• Consider creating a procedure to follow for making line breaks at punctuation marks. 

WiFi is not always reliable. If you’re using StreamText, sometimes the venue blocks your text. Always be ready to use your phone as a hot spot.

Captioning entertainment settings like the Broadway Tony Awards, the Oscars, the Pope’s visit, live sporting and music events, and of course, educational venues.

• Find confidence. Most people — security guards, attorneys, and the general public — have no idea what captioners/CART providers do. For example, if an arbitrator directs you to sit at the other end of the table but all the attorneys and witnesses are facing the arbitrator, insist politely, but firmly that you sit where you can hear.
• Learn early to consider yourself an equal partner in business dealings. You are a practitioner of a specialized skill, sharing with associates.
• Learn what your workflow needs are and how to negotiate contracts, etc., to help you have better work relationships and better work-life balance. 

This answer can vary weekly. Professionals have said they have had upwards of 15 to 30 jobs a week, while those covering events such as conventions find themselves working three or more eight hours days. That can translate into six hours of actual writing.

Like most answers regarding CART, it varies. For academic settings a CART file is turned in. For concerts and live entertainment venues, nothing is provided. The format for a job depends on the clientele.

Typically, payment is made within 30 days. Payment can also be biweekly, received by direct deposit or by check.

At a minimum you will need a professional writer, professional software, and a reliable laptop. A long extension cord and multiple audio recording methods (backups) are also advisable.

• Network with reporters who live in your area.
• Go to your state association events to meet reporters and firm owners while you’re still a student. Intern as much as possible with as many different reporters as possible. It’s even okay to intern more than what your school requires!
• Transcribe samples from jobs you intern on and ask for feedback on them to improve your editing skills.
• When you graduate, reach out to those reporters and firm owners you’ve met at events and interned with and let them know you’re ready to start working. They can help you start getting work at their own firms and recommend other firms you can reach out to that have work in your area.

• Both have their advantages. Working for one firm means you make connections with your coworkers and can build strong relationships with the scheduling and production staff.
• Working for many firms means you may get more variety in the jobs you take, and it allows you to have more options for finding jobs when work is slow.

Different firms have different policies, but on average, turnaround time for non-expedited transcripts is eight to 10 business days.

Each state may have different requirements for formatting. Ask for samples from reporters and court reporting firms in your state.

• Most software companies offer training videos and user manuals that you can use to aid in learning their software.
• For hands-on training, reach out to a certified trainer who can tailor training to your needs.
• For tips and tricks on software, you can join Facebook groups of users on your same software. Investing in software training will save you time, money, and headaches in the future and worth spending the money on to learn how to make the most out of your software’s capabilities. 

• Practice with your remote setup before taking your first job to make sure all your equipment is hooked up correctly and you’re able to hear well, and you have good connections. You can invite friends to join you on Zoom so you can troubleshoot your setup with other people connected to a meeting.
• When interning remotely, ask if the reporters you’re interning with would allow you to come to their house to see their setup in person.

Check your state’s court reporting association website for information specific to working in any state. You can also visit NCRA’s SONAR website to get information about each state.

• Different court reporting agencies pay on different schedules. Some agencies pay everything within a set time frame of receiving a job (often two weeks to one month), and some agencies don’t pay the reporter until they get paid by the attorneys.
• Whatever payment schedule you are on, make sure you set up your finances to be able to deal with unpredictable payments.
• It is good practice to have a separate bank account to accept work payments and use that account to set up a recurring payment to your personal account, so your personal spending isn’t as dependent on sporadic job payments.

• Start by taking one job and focus on it through completion before taking your next job. You will be able to get a sense of how long it takes you to edit transcripts and will better be able to predict how large a workload you can handle.
• As you take more work, you will begin to get faster at completing transcripts and will be able to take more jobs per week.
• Your priority should always be to turn in high-quality work, and you want to leave yourself enough time to make sure your transcripts reflect that high quality.

• You should use a proofreader for every single job you do as a new reporter.
• It is common practice to wait a year or more before using a scopist. It will take you longer to get jobs out at the beginning by scoping your own work, but you’ll learn a lot about your writing by scoping your own work when first starting out, which will make you a better, more efficient writer to be able to see and correct your own mistakes.

Neither equipment insurance nor liability insurance is required, but both are good to have in case something happens. NCRA partners with a number of insurance providers that offer competitive rates.

You do not need to be an LLC or S Corp to freelance, but it is a good idea to have a separate entity set up for extra protection. It also gives you the opportunity to get a federal EIN number so you can use that instead of your social security number when filling out W-9 forms for court reporting firms.

• The bare essentials to bring to a job include: a writer and tripod; a laptop and laptop charger; a USB cord to connect your writer to your laptop; a long extension cord; a USB microphone for your computer; an external microphone for audio backup on your writer; a USB drive to back up your job immediately at the end of a deposition; a pen and notebook; exhibit stickers; the notice of deposition; and a notary journal if that’s required in your state.
• Other nonessential (but very helpful) items can include: tissues; nail clippers; cough drops; hand lotion; Aleve or Tylenol; cash; earbuds or small headphones; an SD card reader; a black sharpie; a small stapler, paper clips or binder clips; a glue stick; Post-it notes; a folder to keep order forms and exhibits in; snacks; and a cord cover.

• The benefits of being an official often include: insurance; salary; retirement; a structured schedule; state and federal taxes withheld; a family-type work environment; different trial types; support of judges/administrators; and paid time off for vacation and illness, as well as discretionary days.
• Another benefit of working in a court setting is having access to the court files so you can prepare your job dictionary in anticipation of trial.
• In some cases, courthouses will offer their official court reporters updated steno machines, equipment bonuses, and software support contracts. In addition, they can offer supplies such as a printer, paper, pay for conference attendance and per diem, CEU hours, and coverage of state and national organization membership fees.

Salaries may increase depending on how long a reporter has worked as an official, the credentials they have earned, and the longevity in one job.

Yes, depending on the state, or county, or division. Always check with your potential employer what their set up is. Extra pay can depend on whether the transcript request is a regular turnaround, expedited, or daily copies.

Yes, depending on transcript load or if they are in trial or waiting on a jury.

Officials who work as part of a court reporter pool often cover all courts of various types. Check with your administrator when interviewing for a position.

Take a procedures class, make sure you shadow with other reporters, and write down any questions you have before going on your own.

There are a number of items including the case heading and number, the date and type of hearing, names of the counsels, the judge’s name and division, the names of witnesses, and a description of any exhibits.

A steno machine, a laptop, a printer, a recorder, microphones for bench conferences, software, exhibit stickers, and extension cords.

It varies per state. Check with your state association and/or your court administrator. The Registered Professional Reporter (RPR) earned through NCRA is a suggested entry-level certification for all employment.

Yes. Check with your state licensing board for guidelines. If you’re in a non-certified state, check with your state court reporting association for guidance.

Membership in both is highly recommended. Membership is a great way to network and to support the profession.

Notary requirements are state-dependent. Check with your state association.

• Talk to other reporters as it depends whether it is a jury case or only a bench trial. Jury trials require side bars and a microphone to be able to hear, so you don't have to unplug everything and bring your equipment up to the bench.  
• Be proficient in your software. If you have to do realtime, output for CART, or if you have a scopist editing live, you need to know how to do all of that.