Stenographers specialize in transcribing messages, speeches, and conversations. Most work in legal courts, using stenotype machines to document every word spoken during proceedings. Other stenographer jobs include closed captioning for TV and transcribing telephone conversations. Training programs are available at community colleges or professional schools, and some states require a license.
Stenographers are men and women who specialize in the accurate and quick transcription of messages, speeches and spoken conversations. Most stenographer jobs are found in legal courts, where professionals known as reporters record statements, hearings and decisions. Professionals can also find work at television stations, telephone relay centers and various offices that require accurate legal transcription services.
Court reporters must document every word spoken during a proceeding. Even the most skilled typists would struggle to keep up with such a demanding and difficult task using a standard computer keyboard. Stenographers often employ stenotype machines, keyboard devices that allow users to press multiple keys at once to form syllables, words, or sentences instantly. Court reporters carefully review and edit stenotype machine transcripts to ensure proper grammar and spelling.
Other courtroom stenographer jobs may require professionals to use audio equipment to record a case, while taking careful notes about who is speaking at all times and the reactions of defendants, judges, and jury members. A court reporter will use your recordings and notes to create a detailed transcript after a hearing. Some court reporters replay what is said, and who says it, onto a portable recording device, which can be played back and translated later.
Some stenographer jobs can be found outside the court system. Television stations and broadcast centers often hire stenographers to provide closed captioning for live and recorded programs. Other professionals are employed in relay centers, where they transcribe telephone conversations for deaf and hard of hearing citizens. Occasionally, a freelance stenographer will offer their services under contract, as needed, to law firms, insurance firms, government meetings, and various other settings. Stenographers can also attend school lectures or conferences with deaf clients to provide prompt written translations.
To get most stenographer jobs, people must be extremely proficient typists and possess at least high school diplomas. Most professional stenographers, especially those involved in court reporting, attend courses at community colleges or professional schools to master the trade. Training programs can take one to three years to complete, and consist of intensive classroom instruction and practice in simulated hearings. Some states and countries require graduates of these programs to pass a written and practical exam to become licensed stenographers. Generally, no additional certification is required, although some professionals choose to take the certification exams offered by accredited organizations to improve their credentials and chances of finding jobs as a stenographer.
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