Speech recognition in court reporting
Posted By: MTness on 2005-12-04
In Reply to: I wouldn't recommend it... - D
... You are right on. As I was doing my research into possibly getting into court reporting, low and behold, I find "voice writing" and VR coming into this field. This is impacting their profession also but at this time not to the degree VR has in MTing.
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Has anyone had court reporter training or looked into court reporting?
I am thinking about taking a distance learning course in court reporting and I was just wondering if anyone has tried it, done it, looked into it and what they have found out. If you have gone to school for it or are going to school for it or know anything about court reporting could you share what you know with me? I have been in the transcription field for 15 years and I thought that might be something that I could bridge over to pretty easily, but not sure. Any comments on this idea? Thanks everyone for your help! 
i think it is automatic speech recognition but it is the same as VR which is voice recognition.
court reporting
I have a friend who did court reporting for many years. She made excellent money, but had back trouble and neck, arm and carpal tunnel problems. The machine she had to tote around is quite heavy, even in a roller suitcase, was not easy, especially if elevators were out and she had to be on the third floor. Of course, no one ever offered to help her with the suitcase. She did her own editing and printing out of all her depositions and made probably $70,000 to $85,000 per year attending all the courts and taking depositions. She gave it up because of her hands and back and is now a paralegal. after going to college for that. She loved it though and used to call me for medical words she was stuck on....
Court Reporting
I actually graduated from CR school in Iowa and use my machine to transcribe. I would never discourage anyone from trying, but be aware that is very difficult to learn and achieving speeds takes dedication and a lot of time and practice. It sure isn't as easy as it looks, but the payoff is great in the end. I couldn't transcribe w/out my machine!
COURT REPORTING???
Has anyone out there ever thought of going from being an MT to court reporting? I have been transcribing for almost 15 years now. I know that the pay scale is better for court reporters, and there are schools that offer on-line classes now. I just wonder what the job prospects were. I have only known 2 court reports and both of them were working as MTs. Any info, anybody? Thanks
court reporting
I often think about court reporting too. I was told just recently by a court reporter if I was going to do it to go into real time reporting, don't know much about it, other than it is doing caption work for live tv.
court reporting
She's right, there are no jobs...they're all held by people who have no intention of giving them up and the rest of the court reporters are doomed to working for services. How do I know? My daughter attended a local college for this, finished the course with excellent grades and looked for a job but could not find an opening within reasonable distance. Tuition is horribly expensive also, so she's now in debt to the tune of approximatey 14,000 dollars, luckily it's Sallie Mae and is at 2.12%. Don't do it! This job is just too hard on your body and mind (if you do get a job, all you'll be hearing is about murders, drug deals, divorces and child abuse), and who needs that? In West Virginia, a court reporter starts out at 13,000 a year -you could make that McDonald's, easy, without having to repay an education loan. The local college's ads say Make $60,000 a year your first year...that is also bs. It's more like $28,000.
Court Reporting vs MT
Hello all ! Years ago I considered getting into court reporting, but back then I remember being told you only get paid PER PAGE/LINE, and not for your time in the court room when you're recording the cases. Recently I was told a court reporter gets anywhere from $3 to $5 per page.
Does anyone have any info on how payment for court reporters works? Is the above true? I thought MT was a better-paying position, as the whole go-to-work-and-jot-down-the-text part was eliminated - and we (used to) make good money doing MT.
Any info would be interesting! Thanks !
Court reporting (see m)
Hi - if you work for a court, you are paid an annual salary plus benefits, starting around 50k per year, just for sitting in court and taking down the proceedings and even if no one orders a transcript. On top of that, you also get transcript fees (if anyone orders a transcript) of $3 to $5 per page and more if you provide RealTime. Most court days come out to about 250 pages of transcript, so if someone orders even the cheapest transcript that's $750 right there.
Court reporting is much more lucrative than MT if you can get a full-time job with a court.
If you freelance and take depositions, then you can charge the parties an appearance fee for showing up, plus the transcript per-page fee, but it's usually a bit less lucrative than a courthouse position.
court reporting
thanks for the info! It's a better position than I was aware !
Court Reporting
The poster is right in that it's a hard field to get into, at least in our area at the Courthouse, but there is always freelancing. You can make really good money if you're good. I do know that when I took ShortHand a long time ago (I was a legal secretary), there were court reporter students in the class and the machine looked really hard. You have to have tremendous speed. Good luck in whatever you decide to do.
court reporting
I used to transcribe for a friend who was a court reporter and she did voice recording. This was 15 years ago though. She had a 2-track tape recorder. She would repeat everything being said in the courtroom into a small microphone, that I believe was almost like a mask. One track of the tape would record the court proceedings, and the other track would record her. I would transcribe the court proceedings, and if I could not understand something, I would switch to the other track, and it would be her repeating the testimony, etc. Not sure if they even do this anymore, but she made a lot of money at the time.
court reporting
Recently there had been an ad in our local paper for a full-time court reporter for the superior court in our local area. It was advertised at $78,000 per year with full federal benefits, and bonus days off like President's day (when was the last time a MT got paid for being off on President's Day?) Again, I too pick the wrong career and should have went into court reporting but at that time (in 1976) there was not a lot of interest in that field so I just went into transcription training and here I am 30 years later. Can you still teach an old dog new tricks?
Court reporting
Yes, I've been through CR school. If you want to do it, go for it, but fair warning...you have to be married to that machine and have no life outside of it until your graduate. I agree with the other poster...it is extremely difficult, and unless you can dedicate 100% of your time to it, it's near impossible to make it through the course.
court reporting
I spent almost 3 years in CR school, was about to graduate and began to hate every minute I was chained to that machine. The school also had a MT program, so most of my credits transferred. Of the people that I knew who did go on to that career were disappointed with the money. Be careful researching this career and make sure you really want to do it. You really are a slave to that machine in court.
Court Reporting
I definitely would go to school for court reporting, but unfortunately I am too old (64). I know this would be very interesting. Where I live near Chicago, they have an excellent court reporting program that a person can take.
Also, you can work at home eventually. Like I said if I were younger, I would go for court reporting.
court reporting
Go for it! You can do it. If I lived near a school, I would try it myself. I am 69 and will be 70 in the fall plus I am a disabled person (terrible back after surgery). Do not let your age stop you for doing anything. At the rate it is going now days, you might live to be 90 or 100. Just think all the productive years you have ahead of you!
Have any of you ever thought of court reporting? sm
It seems like there is more job security in court reporting -- and much better money. I'm really thinking of getting out of medical transcription... just so tired of getting paid less and less to do the same job. I was just laid off a great in-house job and I am really wondering if transcription is right for me anymore. 
Court Reporting Employment
How do you get into this field of work?
I've been looking into it court reporting...
...and the training is EXPENSIVE...so is the software and equipment used. Go price a few stenotype machines online, basic models, nothing fancy...you're looking at over $1,000.00. Just when you thought MT had an expensive start up/out of pocket cost, this career takes the cake and the 'best' part of all...there is NO guarantee you will ever reach the 225 WPM required to earn your degree.
I had been looking at The College of Court Reporting, as well as a few other schools, currently I'm comparing programs and degrees offered...Plus, I'm still debating if I really have the desire to proceed with a court reporting career.
I'd think it would be next to impossible to learn the language skills required to master the stenotype machine without receiving proper training. Can't just buy the machine and the software, hook to your computer and expect to increase your MT production...there's a whole language of court reporting that needs to be learned.
If anyone is seriously looking into court reporting, I'd suggest you visit the NCRA site and read about it.
Good luck.
I agree with the court reporting...
comparison. I, however, disagree with the nursing comparison. MT and nursing, in my opinion, do not require the same skill level. Court reporters do make great money; however, they do have to pass certain tests in order to become certified (if that is the correct term -- could be licensed). Generally speaking, it takes approximately 2 years of studying and practice to gain enough speed to pass that test, so many have spent more time on education and practice than a lot of MTs before they receive an actual job. Anyway, I think all in all that is a fair comparison.
Voice recognition or speech recognition.
:
Court Reporting Machine Used for Transcription
Does anyone happen to use a stenograph machine (the kind used for court reporting) to do transcription? If so, has it been much faster than typing? What are the pro's and con's? Have you developed your own set of (probably hundred's, no doubt) brief forms/abbreviations (since you I assume you don't have an Expander like InstantText or autocorrect/autotext as Word does)??? How has the wear and tear on your hands/wrists been? Thanks......
Software used with Court Reporting Machine
What software do you use to transcribe with? What type of court reporting machine do you have? I have a Stentura 8000 and would love to use it, but I do not have software and really did not want to spend thousands of dollars on software. Any ideas?
Actual court reporting or transcribing?
There is a difference in the actually reporting where you sit and court and record. You always see the little ladies typing away on the minitypewriter and the actual court transcription. My friend who do this use the tape or digital recorders, for either court or depositions. They also speech into a little cone type deal (name not important) to make notes of thier own as well as writtent notes as the tapes record up to 4 microphone at a time. They did go to school for this.
I transcribed for a small company locally and would pick up thier overflow. The recent rate seemed to be 1.25 a page but I received 1.35 for medical which they could not understand. You do have to have a special tape transcriber for this. You can buy then new or used but you can also get some that have been company modified. They have to be able to play multiple channels. This could run you anywhere from $300-$800 for player alone.
The difference is VERBATIM. Where we correct for proper English you do not on legal. There are a few tricks with the dates and numbers and such but it's not hard to catch onto. You might check into a local court reporting business and see if they have extra work. It can be time consuming but it is interesting. Some are short, some are long. Court cases longer but I have typed depositions that are up to 100 pages long, but that is double spaced. They had to listen to it while recording, then I listend to transcribe and then they listened a third time to proof it. Here is a sample of how the wording can be...
Q All right. Did you ever see the Cadillac at any point, go into the turn lane?
A No. When -- No. Because, when he came off the car he was right in the road. It was in the through lane.
Q Okay. You went over and talked to Mrs. Hobbs, the lady driving the car. Now tell us exactly what she -- David said tell her -- tell you -- tell her that I’m okay, and what did she say to you about just glancing back or what exactly did she tell you?
A If I’m remembering -- getting it right -- I don’t want to -- but what I’m saying is -- like, I said well David, David told me to come and find out how you were doing and don’t worry about him he’ll be okay and then she said, after a few minutes, like I said, she said like -- to the effect that she glanced off the road and she took her eyes off the road and when she looked back it just happened.
Some of them are hilarious.
Point is if you want to transcribe them you don't have to have any special schooling. My friend has never transcribed in her life and she picked it right up within a week.
closed captioning and court reporting
You should still consider it. If you are young enough to invest 4 to 5 years of school and entry experience, it may well be worth it. It certainly pays well,double to triple what medical transcription pays. Look into it.
MQs speech recognition.
:
speech recognition
I worked with speech recognition at my last job and I didn't like it. It took longer and alot of mistakes came through. You were editing, but I found I could do a better and faster job typing it myself. Everyone's production went down and error rates went up because you become complacent and when you are reading along with the words playing in your ears your eyes have a tendency to overlook a lot of little things that should be edited. I did not find it productive or helpful just a mess.
Speech recognition
I am on speech recognition as it comes up. Don't have it all the time and it is on the DQS platform. I enjoy the break from typing but can be slow as you really have to listen to every word and make the corrections where necessary. The fastest typists just erase the entire report and retype. I just listen and make corrections. I have not had a pay reduction as of yet since this is not all I do. I am still paid my regular per line rate for SR but rumor has it that this will change but this is only a rumor, nothing in writing. If you do not like editing, can always tell them that you just want to type and not edit. I am on high speed internet also. Hope this helps.
Speech Recognition
Does anyone use speech recognition software for better transcription productivity? If so, I am interested in learning more about it & would like to talk. Thanks.
Speech recognition
I absolutely love editing speech recognition. After typing for 20 years, it definitely gives my hand a break. I like the pay as well.
Does anyone work with speech recognition? sm
We are currently learning this, and I hate it. It's not editing others' work, its doing your own transcription with speech rec. Does anyone else do this, and like it? Anyone had success with it, or failures? I'm seriously thinking of quitting my company, as we have to give this three months trial to get used to it, before we are considered for being taken out of the program. 
All I hear from work is how wonderful it is, how positive, how everyone hates it at first but once you get used to it how you love it. I don't think so. This just isn't for me. There are others who feel the same way, but you never hear about them, unless you happen to stumble across those particular people somehow; which I have.
speech recognition sucks
They are selling it to docs and hospitals based on one thing only, it will cost them less money. Guess why?
It will cost US more money.
The only good thing I have to say about it is this: I know one of the major hospitals in my area is trying it and failing miserably.
They came out of the barn with this donkey a wee bit too early.
Automatic Speech Recognition (nm)
.
ASR question (speech recognition). sm TIA
For someone who transcribes roughly 250 LPH on acute care, what would the introduction of ASR due to her line count? Could she potentially increase it?
Back end speech recognition.
Can anyone tell me if this is a difficult job? Would this be much different than proofreading my own reports while listening to the sound file? What is the going line rate for something like that? Is it better pay than regular transcribing?
Thank to all who can soothe my nerves!!!!
question about speech recognition. sm
Do you need high speed internet for speech recognition? I've been informed by a company I edit for that they are going to incorporate speech recognition into ASP. I was also recruited by a company I recently left to rehire to do speech recognition. I can only get dial-up where I live. No DSL or cable. Could get satellite, but so many companies say no to satellite. Thanks!
Speech recognition platform. sm
The company is called MultiModal. They said they're going to integrate it with ASP. The other company I don't know.
Speech, or voice, recognition
nm
Has anyone tried Vista speech recognition?
nm
Speech recognition good or bad?
Is ASR using DEP/DocQscribe better than traditional transcription? What are the benefits & disadvantage of using ASR/DocQscribe? All input appreciated. Thanks.
Speech recognition discussion
In reading the news release posted below about Nuance buying escription, I was wondering how different SR platforms are working for us MTs. I do ASR on DQS and have found that on my main account the ASR is pretty good, so I don't have to make tons of changes.
I tend to like doing the speech recognition and here is why I think that is so in my case:
If I get my primary account it recognizes pretty well and I don't get much junk to have to change.
Also, I can usually turn the speed to the fastest whereas straight transcription is usually about the halfway point for me, so I think I am getting it done faster.
Another thing is that I never did get into the habit of really tweaking my Expander the way a lot of other MTs have. I have seen some say they put anything that takes more than 3 characters into an expander. I am getting better about this but not to that degree, so I think SR is faster for me.
I think I have some carpal tunnel issues starting up so I can't transcribe for as long a stretch as I can edit.
All that being said, about 25% of my work still comes through as straight transcription and it is a good thing because that significantly affects my hourly rate for the better, so I am not losing lots of $, although I have lost some. 
So my question is two-fold: If you do SR, what system are you using? What has things specifically have made it better/worse for you?
The thing is, speech recognition is only
as good as the dictator dictating and the person reviewing the record before it is sent.
ASR = Automated Speech Recognition
MQ SPEECH RECOGNITION INFO WANTED
Hi,
Can someone who works for MQ and is on speech recognition give the rest of us some info as to what it is like, what the pay is, and whether or not a person would want to do it? It would be helpful info to have in case our office called and asked us if we wanted to be on that or not. I don't know if they have various speech recognition platforms, but I am on DQS and high speed internet.
Thanks
Radiology Transcription vs Speech Recognition
I have been doing radiology transcription now for 20 years. They say Radiology is usually the first speciality to go over the speech recognition usually - as it tends to be repetitious with usually a lot of "normals". Even with that said, most companies that do have radiology transcription are paying "by the report" these days, with most of the normals going to an automatic transcription system of some sort and the long reports (MRIs, CTs, Nuclear Medicine, invasive studies, etc.) still going to the transcriptionists. I have heard it said that it "averages out", but I'd be leary about signing up for say 96 cents to 1.35 (that seems to be about the range) to transcribe a report - no matter what the length these days, because it seems like there are no guarantees that the normals and shorter reports will still be going to the Transcriptionist and not to SpeechQ, inhouse, or speech recognition programs. I'd say check it out well before you "jump ship". The grass sometimes just looks greener on the other side. Only my 2 cents... Best of luck - whatever you decide to do.
... Lady
Speech to text recognition software
Can anyone give any information on a good speech to text recognition software?
Thanks..
Running Voice Files Through Speech Recognition. SM
Does anyone run their voice files (DSS and WMA) through a speech recognition program and then edit them? Just wondering if that is any faster than actually typing it myself. The doctor is a very clear dictator, so I'm wondering if the speech recognition would pick it up okay -- but wouldn't be able to teach the software to recognize her voice the way the instructions say to.
Also, does anyone using speech recognition listen to the dictation and then redictate it into speech recognition software themselves? I would be able to train the software to recognize my voice then.
Just trying to think of a few ways to increase my productivity and save my wrists at the same time. Thanks for any suggestions and comments.
Word 2003 speech recognition program
Has anyone heard of this or used it? I have Word 2003 and it has a built in speech recogition program that I did not know existed. From what I can see, I just have to download the software, purchase a microphone headset, and train the thing. Has anyone used this, is it proficient, and has it increased your transcription production. Also, I transcribe in ChartScript/NetLinc which is a Word-based program. For those who have used the speech recognition through Word would this work for me?
Front-end speech is "talking;" back-end speech is flatulence. :-)
nm
last time I was in court -- no court reporter
I have taken my ex back to court a few times in the past couple of years and there was no court reporter in the room... In fact it was mentioned that they make a recording of the proceedings and then it is transcribed... I just asked a simple question if anybody knew if this job could be done at home and based on my experience it would make sense that it could be. No need to get nasty.
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