Transcribing Outside the Courtroom

Are you considering a career in court reporting? If you’re detail-oriented, focused, and punctual, this is an industry to consider. By 2018, there will be more than 5,000 court reporters retiring, leaving a gap of high demand and low supply. In addition to the opportunities in the legal field, you could be transcribing outside the courtroom.

• Freelance court reporter. Have you always wanted to make your own schedule and work from home? This might be the opportunity for you. Freelance court reporters work with an agency like ours to be matched with attorneys. Being freelance is a trade-off of (sometimes) steady work and being able to travel or focus on friends and family on your own schedule.
• Depositions. If you’re a witness in a court case, it is likely you will have to give a legal statement under oath. That’s called a deposition and attorneys need a court reporter to swear in witnesses in a non-courtroom setting and provide a transcription of what was said in the proceeding. In a courtroom setting, a reporter may be asked to read back certain portions of the deposition for the judge or jury to hear as evidence.
• Interviews. Businesses are increasingly hiring us to transcribe interview conversations especially for high profile positions. They can easily review questions and answers and provide information to those that may have a vested interest but are unable to attend an interview.
• Content marketing. Content marketing is fast becoming part of business plans and we’re needed to transcribe audio content from webinars, seminars, and podcasts. It’s then repurposed for blog posts, e-books, and other written content and shared on social media.
• Closed Captioner. When you’re watching television while on the treadmill at the gym the words scrolling across the bottom are the work of a court reporter trained as a closed captioner. They’re translating the conversation in real-time. The need for this skill is growing throughout the business world and in education to help hearing impaired students.

The opportunities for using court reporter skills extend beyond the courtroom. We’re excited to be part of this growing field!