The Transcript is the Record
The Importance of Providing Good Materials to the Transcriptionist
By: Carolyn Blakeslee Proeber, CDR, RON
The transcript is The Record of what is said and exhibited in legal proceedings.
Cases can involve life-and-death situations as well as million-dollar, child custody,
property disaster, and other potentially life-changing and sensitive matters. The
importance of the transcript's accuracy can't be overstated. The people involved in
these proceedings are people whose lives can change on a "can" or a "can't,"
crosstalk, or an inaudible.
Ideally, the reporter transcribes his/her own jobs; after all, s/he was "there."
However, sometimes an agency's policies don't allow it. Sometimes it's a large job
that's expedited and needs to be divvied up and assigned to a team of
transcriptionists. And if a reporter doesn't know how to create a transcript, s/he
really should learn that skill, as it is the foundation of reporting.
The plugged-in method of recording makes no difference: a reporter can steno all
day, type all day, speak into a mask all day -- but if good output isn't available to
the transcriptionist, The Record suffers.
At a minimum the transcriptionist needs the following:
- Good (preferably excellent) audio;
- Reporter's detailed notes/annotations;
- All of the exhibits, if possible; and
- A screen capture video if remote.
AUDIO. Test the audio before the proceeding starts. Have backups. One of mine, a
little $30 Olympus VN-541PC recorder, produces an amazingly good backup
audio. However, audio is too big a subject to cover here, and an article about audio
will be coming soon.
NOTES. An Otter.ai file, Zoom caption file, or any other AI file is NOT a
substitute for a reporter's notes. Notes will identify all persons present, all speaker
changes, exhibits as they are marked, key words, verified spellings, and when
people enter or exit the proceeding. As with everything else, practice makes
perfect, and shortcuts enable more detail. Many text expanders are available; I use
Beeftext.
EXHIBITS. Without exhibits, the transcriptionist will be unsure what (if any)
verbiage to put in quotation marks, and many spellings will be more difficult to
verify.
SCREEN CAPTURE VIDEO (IF REMOTE OR HYBRID). The Zoom or
videographer recording isn't always available, but the reporter should always
record a Debut or other screen-capture video as a backup. When a video is
provided, the transcriptionist can see who is speaking if the reporter fails to so
identify, see the exhibits that are shared onscreen, and read lips if necessary when
crosstalk has occurred.
Speaking of crosstalk, don't be afraid to interrupt. "Please, everyone, speak one at a
time." Throwing both arms up in the air (think "I surrender" or a football referee's
touchdown signal) is a good "Stop!" motion which usually gets everyone's
attention. If you didn't hear an answer clearly, it's okay to ask for clarification.
Without great audio, log notes, exhibits, and preferably a video as well, a
transcriptionist is operating literally blind. The transcript is ultimately The Record.
When the transcript is subpar, that is disappointing to the client and could even be
damaging to the case. Protect The Record, protect the case, and protect your
reputation.