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The training required to become an Oklahoma City court reporting specialist is equivalent to many other professional careers. To become fully certified, it can take between two and four years of schooling, depending on the exact skills learned and the desired career path. There are two basic types of Oklahoma City court reporting done today. The first is often referred to as stenotype reporting, and is the method of court recording and reporting that has been used for several decades. A machine called a stenotype is used to type out written records of proceedings in court, in real time. Rather than having a keyboard with all the letters and numbers on it separately, as the keyboard on a computer is set up, the stenotype allows the typist to create entire syllables, words, and even phrases with just a single hand motion. Keys are pressed in different combinations to record everything that the typist hears. In order to become a licensed court reporter specializing in stenotype, an individual must be able to record at least 225 words a minute. This speed allows the typist to keep up with everything being said in the court room without missing anything. Though it can be difficult to reach such high speeds, this is a very important position in the courtroom. Not only does it allow for a full, written record of the courtroom proceedings to be available as soon as the court is adjourned, but it also allows for judges and lawyers to be able to very quickly backtrack and hear again what witnesses have said while on the stand. You may be envisioning a stenotype court reporter's notes to resemble a long-hand film script. This is not the case. In order to achieve such high recording speeds, the language used in an original stenotyped document is in shorthand, using letters and spacing to represent words and phrases. Such a document is absolutely illegible to someone who is not trained to read stenotype shorthand, so part of an Oklahoma City court reporting specialist's job is to translate their notes into a document with everything written out. This document can then be accessed by anyone, and is filed away for future reference should someone need to consult what occurred during a certain court case in the future. The second type of Oklahoma City court reporting that is being used more and more widely is referred to as digital reporting. Using a series of microphones set up around the courtroom, a digital court reporter manages a multi-channel recording of what goes on inside the court room. The multiple channels and microphones ensures that conversations and comments from any corner of the room and at any volume will be recorded for future reference. As the events in the court room unfold, the reporter records everything and then begins making a written version of all that is said. Just as a stenotype operator must make a full transcription of the court proceedings from his or her shorthand notes, and digital reporter must pull the dialogue recorded on their audio files and create a written document of the court proceedings. Whichever branch of recording dialogue is used, court reporters are always in demand. Not only does it take a great deal of patience and practice to become good at the skills necessary for this job, but some people consider the work of a court reporter to be tedious, so there is a high dropout rate among court reporting students. However, those who find the work enjoyable love the feeling that they are an important though often unseen part of the justice system in this country, and with such a high demand for proficient court reporters they will always have a job.
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