CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

COURT OFFICIAL
Court officials are reporters who are employed by State and Federal Courts to take testimony at hearings and trials. Salaries and benefits vary from state to state, and added income is earned according to the number of transcript copies produced. As employees of the court, court officials work a regular schedule and are eligible for state and/or federal benefits.

FREELANCE REPORTERS
Professionals who choose this career path work as independent contractors for attorneys, covering depositions, arbitrations, hearings and other legal proceedings. These reporters are paid according to the number of pages produced and the number of transcripts ordered. They work for themselves and set their own schedules. Freelance reporters earn an average of $61,000 per year. Reporters specializing in real-time writing are paid a premium and can earn in excess of $100,000 per year.

C.A.R.T SERVICES
Computer Aided Realtime Translation reporters assist hearing impaired individuals to see in realtime what is being spoken. CART writers are often used in colleges and universities to translate lectures for deaf students.

BROADCAST CAPTIONING
We have all seen “ closed captions “ at the bottom of a television screen. The words don’t appear by magic. They were translated from voice to text by a court reporter using a stenographic writer and a sophisticated computer program. Broadcast captioning specialists are in high demand across the country, and that demand is growing.

TRANSCRIPTION SERVICES
Traditional transcriptionists get paid by the page and use typewriters and word processors to convert dictation to text. Some may reach 120 or even 140 words per minute. Court reporters produce text at 225 words per minute and speeds of 260 to 280 words per minute are not uncommon.

PROFESSIONAL TRANSCRIPT EDITOR
Transcript editors provide critical support services to court reporters in the final preparation of legal transcripts. They help ensure that the transcript represents the complete and accurate record of the proceeding. Some transcript editors work directly for a reporting agencies. Others set up their own small businesses assisting reporters nationwide.