Looking to spice up your days with a new career to try out amidst the pandemic? Then you may want to try Florida court reporting. Court reporters are some of the most valuable assets inside the courtroom and there’s a reason why people are always looking for the best in this line of work. If you have the skills for it, then you’re in for a lengthy and prosperous career as there’s nothing that beats the speed and accuracy of a real live court reporter.
What is court reporting?
Professionals in this field are also known as guardians of the record. What’s with the nice title? Well, court reporters are impartial personnel during the judicial process. They are tasked with transcribing every crucial word spoken by everyone in the court, including the accused, the victim, and even the judge.
Their output is crucial to the legal process as these serve as physical proof of the hearing. Aside from keeping records, these specialists also provide real-time access to court hearing transcriptions. Think of it as voice-to-text features on smartphones only more accurately and reliable.
An underrated role of Florida court reporters is their ability to provide deaf access to every word and line said inside the courtroom. Without them, it would be tough to give everyone a fair opportunity at understanding the proceedings inside the court. As such, those in this field are highly valuable personnel.
Why not use AI assistants?
The advent of AI, machine learning, and AI assistants has made various professional fields function more effectively. Voice-to-text features are common in today’s smartphone lineups. So the question remains, why won’t the justice system rely on these technologies instead? Surely they are faster and more accurate than Florida real live court reporter?
The short answer is no, these advancements have yet to become as formidable as their human counterparts.
Leading voice recognition software like Siri and Alexa are only around 95% accurate. A margin of error of about 5% may not seem much but in a crucial field such as the justice system, such errors can make or break proceedings. Moreover, these voice recognition software aren’t even capable of undoing their mistakes much like how a human can.
You can see just how unreliable this software can be simply by testing it on your own. Go ahead and read the paragraph of text to Siri, Alexa, or Google Assistant. Read it at varying speeds and accents. You’ll notice that all software will have a few errors. In a hearing, this could lead to many complications for all parties involved.
These voice recognition software for Florida court reporting are indeed valuable in our daily lives. However, they can never replace you as a court reporter inside the justice system.
What it means to be a Florida real live court reporter
For starters, being a court reporter means being impartial to any parties involved. Any hint of bias against or towards a party could eventually affect the transcription process. As with all matters concerning the court of law, it is a must for court reporters to be as fair as possible during the process of transcribing.
Court reporters, or often called stenographers don’t transcribe by hand. Keeping up with conversations using pen and paper is near impossible to do – let alone stress. If you want to be a valuable asset in the courtroom, then you’ll need to master a special tool called the stenotype machine.
A stenotype machine is not just a basic computer. For starters, it has less keys than a traditional keyboard. Using the machine is often compared to writing shorthand. Basically, you don’t type in full words. Instead, the keys available on the machine are composed of only a few essential letters which when pressed in order, results in the full word you are typing.
Stenotype Machine Mastery for Florida Court Reporting
Mastering the stenotype machine takes months – even years’ worth of practice. Eventually, you’ll be able to come up with a technique of your own that will help you transcribe much faster and more accurately. A Florida court reporter without a stenotype machine is like a judge without a gavel. It is an essential part of your Florida court reporting kit.
Once you have mastered the stenotype, you’ll be able to provide the speed and accuracy that the court needs. Speed and accuracy will rival what the top voice recognition software can provide.
Perhaps the most important thing you should know before engaging in Florida real live court reporter is that you need to be calm and patient. There will be times when you’ll lag behind the speaker. There will also be times where you’ll make mistakes that you have to recover from.
In these trying periods, remaining calm and collected is a must. If you are able to weather the challenge, you’ll eventually be able to keep up with everyone else. This is what truly makes Florida field reporters more valuable than the voice recognition software that people use every day.
How much do court reporters make?
The legal industry understands just how important court reporters are and they are willing to provide these professionals with just compensation.
As per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual court reporter salary for 2019 was $28.91 per hour. In hindsight, Florida court reporters are able to make $60,130 per year. Of course, court reporters are entitled to numerous benefits as this is a government job after all. As your experience builds up, you’ll be able to make more than the median per year.
If you’ve already mastered this line of work, it won’t be as stressful as other jobs. You can even find a small sideline to go along with it so you can maximize your learning opportunity.
Being Florida real live court reporter is no easy task. A lot will rely on your shoulder if you choose to stay on this path but it’s nothing that proper training and experience can’t handle. Eventually, you’ll be able to transcribe faster and more accurately than Siri, Alexa, or any other AI voice assistant. With your help, the court of law will be capable of providing equal opportunities for everyone.
