The Guardian
College of Court Reporting, est. 1984
Three goals for stenography students
BY: Keith Roman II, California Realtime CSR
Keith has been a reporter since 2010. He provides realtime to his judge for felony trials daily and gets the differential in pay for his work. Keith works in Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara.
1. Practice as much as possible. If your financial situation allows you to either not work at all or work limited hours during school, that is best. I worked full time up until about 140. l actually got through the upper speeds faster than I did the lower speeds, and it was primarily having more time to practice. The biggest reason some people get through in 2 years or less is they don't work and they practice a LOT. It took me 3.5 years.
2. When you're practicing a take and you're not doing something different like learning theory briefs or finger drills, then ALWAYS practice that take like it's a test. Do not stop the take in the middle, unless you have to. Do not do a 12 minute take either. Do takes that are 5 to 6 minutes or roughly what your test time will be. Don't do more than 3 or 4 at a time before you take a break. If you do 3 or 4 at a time, it's a good idea to take a 30-second break or something in between each one rather than doing 15 minutes of straight dictation (that would be different if you're practicing for a 10-minute CSR exam). The takeaway is that you always have to be at 100 percent when practicing. If you're sick or tired, you can do something else like learning a brief, but don't do speed practice unless you can give it your all. It's just like being an athlete. They practice what they will see in games and like it is a game. If you want to look up a brief or figure out how to write a word, do it after the take. Practice that 5-min take like it's a test.
3. Do not worry about realtime. You do not have to write realtime to be a reporter. And very few people come out of school super proficient in realtime. Your realtime will get much better as a reporter. Your goal as a student is to get out of school and know the basics and know that you will improve much more as a reporter. You should have some knowledge of basic software and hopefully be connected to realtime the majority of times you write, if not always, but you should not be dismayed that your realtime is not perfect. In fact, NEVER LOOK AT YOUR REALTIME DURING A TEST. This includes practice, because practice must simulate test conditions. You won't pass a test if you don't pass your practice. So what works better is to find a spot on the floor or some inanimate object to stare at. I still do this to this day in court as an official reporter when testimony gets fast! I look at my realtime usually. But whenever they are pushing my top speed and making it tough, I do not look at my realtime screen. I stare at the floor or desk. Your speed practice in school should
always be pushing your boundaries, so should you ever look at realtime during a speed practice/test? NO! You'll have plenty of time when transcribing or reviewing things you've written to see how you did. During the take, you must have complete focus! So anytime any thoughts are coming into your head, banish them. If you can do it in practice, you can do it on the test. To this day, when things get fast, my hands start to go all over the place, and they don't press the keys down far enough and I get misstrokes. I actually often physically tell myself very quickly "calm, stroke it" which means slow your roll and push those keys down. This gets me back on track! Make sure you're breathing and not hyperventilating or choking. Breathe normally. Do it in practice and you'll do it on the test!
Our reflection on a great week...
What an exciting week!
College of Court Reporting's Court Reporting & Captioning Week special events:
1. Meredith Bonn, official court reporter and NCRA Board member, spoke with students about the benefits of a positive attitude. You can check it out here: https://www.smore.com/59mn8
2. We had special live dictation that focused on the fields of court reporting and captioning. Contact Nicky Rodriquez for a sample of our LIVE dictation classes.
3. College of Court Reporting students participated in a game of court reporting BINGO. Congratulations to the winners: ________________
4. CCR also hosted a "Spreading the Word: A Court Reporting & Captioning Showcase." This presentation featured NCRA President Sue Terry along with agencies, organizations, and vendors discussing the court reporting and captioning profession, including association membership, careers, products, and services is sure to be full of excellent information. If you would like to listen to the recording, email Nicky Rodriquez at nicky.rodriquez@ccr.edu.
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CCR Graduates -- What are they doing?
MacKenzie Smith, a 2018 CCR graduate, says, "I’ve had some interesting cases, that’s for sure! I’ve been to a jail, a witness's sketchy house, doctor depos, a lot of murder cases, and had my first videotaped deposition last week. They’re keeping me on my toes."
ABC, NBC, CBS?? Nah...we have your fav channels right here!
http://www.ev360ultimate.com/ev360u/moodle/local/staticpage/view.php?page=[Dictation]
CCR is accredited.
It's Not Too Late!
Semester Start Date: April 1, 2019
Registration Deadline: March 15, 2019
Contact Nicky Rodriquez at 866-294-3974 ext. 222 or nicky.rodriquez@ccr.edu for more information.
IMPORTANT NEWS FOR CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 14, 2019 Contact: Ben Deci – (916) 574-7744
COMING SOON TO CALIFORNIA: VOICE WRITING
State Board to Provide Additional Guidance on Training, Testing
SACRAMENTO – A technique for creating legal transcripts that’s newly recognized by the California Court Reporters Board will have to abide by the same high standards as more traditional methods.
Voice writing differs from those traditional forms of stenography in that a court reporter can speak their notes into a sound-dampening mask. The verbal notes are translated into English and shorthand by computer, and the court reporter can then use those notes to create official transcripts.
At their February meeting, members of California’s Court Reporters Board voted to allow would-be licensees to use voice writing technology in the next test offered for professional certification. Procedures for how the technology will be used during tests are being developed by the Court Reporters Board now.
California leads the nation with the most exacting standards for court reporting accuracy among all 50 states. Voice written transcript testing won’t change that.
“What voice writers do is substantially the same as what machine stenographers do. They are both effective,” said Court Reporters Board Executive Officer Yvonne Fenner. “However, the training time is significantly reduced for voice writers, and more people are able to finish training programs.”
Recognizing voice writers in its licensing procedures is part of an ongoing strategy by the California Court Reporters Board to increase the number of capable, professional court reporters in the state. The demand for professional court reporters already outstrips supply and is growing.
The board is available to consult with schools in California as they develop educational content that includes voice writing in their curricula.
Welcome to The Guardian version of the Job Drawer!
Official Court Reporter(s)
Voice Captioner(s)
Freelance Reporter(s)
JOB DRAWER
FOR MORE INFORMATION GIVE US A CALL TODAY!
Director of Admissions
Nicky Rodriquez
(866) 294 - 3974 ext.222
nicky.rodriquez@ccr.edu
College of Court Reporting
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