RESTON, Va., June 1, 2021 — The National Court Reporters Association (NCRA), the country’s leading organization representing stenographic court reporters, captioners, and legal videographers, has announced that its philanthropic arm, the National Court Reporters Foundation (NCRF) has renewed a Memo of Understanding with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (the Museum) in Washington, D. C., to have court reporters transcribe the histories of Holocaust survivors. The initiative is under NCRF’s Oral Histories Program (OHP), which offers reporters a way to give back to the community while also raising awareness of the court reporting profession to the public.

“On behalf of the National Court Reporters Foundation, we are so proud to have a renewed agreement with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum to transcribe oral histories,” said Early Langley, RMR, a freelance court reporter from Danville, Calif., who chairs NCRF’s Board of Trustees.

“In order to remember this tragic time in history, we must understand the dire circumstances of these Holocaust victims. They miraculously survived and had the courage to record their experiences. Our court reporters proudly volunteer to transcribe these narratives for posterity,” she added.

NCRF and the Museum first partnered in 2014 to enlist the help of NCRA members to transcribe histories. The Museum currently has a registry of more than 200,000 records related to survivors and their families from around the world.

Since its dedication in 1993, the Museum has welcomed more than 46 million visitors, including 100 heads of state and more than 10 million school-age children. The Museum’s website is the world’s leading online authority on the Holocaust and is available in 16 languages. Its online Holocaust Encyclopedia is available in 19 languages.

As a living memorial to the Holocaust, the Museum serves to inspire citizens and leaders worldwide to confront hatred, prevent genocide, and promote human dignity. Its far-reaching educational programs and global impact are made possible by generous donors.

Their collection includes more than 23,000 stories, and the Museum is identifying those that are 90 minutes or less. Certified court reporters will receive 0.25 credit for each transcription, up to a maximum of 1.0 credit in their certification cycle.

Other organizations under NCRF’s OHP include the Library of Congress Veterans History Project, which captures the poignant oral histories of American wartime veterans; the National Equal Justice Library at Georgetown University, which contains histories of notable professionals who have provided pro bono legal services to the poor; the Center for Public Policy & Social Research at the Central Connecticut State University, an official VHP partner, with a collection of 200 oral histories; and the Illinois State Library Veterans History Project. To date, NCRF has submitted more than 4,000 transcriptions to these organizations.

For more information about or to participate in NCRF’s Holocaust Survivors Oral Histories Program, or any of NCRF’s other oral histories programs, contact Foundation Manager Jill Parker Landsman at jlandsman@ncra.org.

The Museum’s transcript guidelines can be found here.

The court reporting and captioning professions offer viable career choices that do not require a four-year college degree and yet offer good salaries, flexible schedules, and interesting venues. There is currently an increasing demand for more reporters and captioners to meet the growing number of employment opportunities available nationwide and abroad. Court reporters and captioners rely on the latest in technology to use stenographic machines to capture the spoken word and translate it into written text in real time. These professionals work both in and out of the courtroom recording legal cases and depositions, providing live captioning of events, and assisting members of the deaf and hard-of-hearing communities with gaining access to information, entertainment, educational opportunities, and more.

To arrange an interview with a working court reporter or captioner, or to learn more about the lucrative and flexible court reporting or captioning professions and the many job opportunities currently available, contact pr@ncra.org.