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Preparation is the key to successful court reporting; putting in the effort in advance of the court hearing means that there is far less chance of something going wrong during the court case. Court reporting requires a high degree of accuracy and as all the equipment used is electronic it's essential that every part is checked as part of the preparation procedure prior to a case commencing. The majority of modern recording setups operate on a four channel system referred to as E-Reporting; this simply means electronic reporting and applies for both analogue and digital recordings. The concept of the four channel systems is such that each party; judge, witness, plaintiff's counsel and defendants counsel are recorded on separate channels. This provides ease of clarification should there be any queries and each channel can be heard separately at a later date, if necessary. Every microphone in the court room needs to be tested prior to the hearing. All microphones should be tested independent of each other thus ensuring that one microphone doesn't pick up sound from elsewhere. Once the microphones have been tested and the sound recorded, then each specific channel linked to each microphone needs to be fully checked to ensure the sound has been recorded. It is important that the system is set to confidence record. The term confidence record means that the headphones, worn by the court reporter, are linked to the actual recording after it is recorded and not before it is recorded. If using an analogue system there is a very slight delay between the actual words spoken into the microphone and the recording being played and therefore there is a slight echo. This does not occur when using digital equipment. During the hearing it is wise to occasionally switch back to live recording, testing each channel in turn. Additionally when using confidence recording, each channel needs to be checked every now and again at suitable moments during the court hearing. E-Reporting is also very beneficial when a translator is required. It means that the original spoken word from the witness can be recorded on one channel while the English words spoken by the translator can be recorded on a separate channel. This ensures that in the event of any disputes, both the original and translated versions can be checked for accuracy. Another important point to remember which can often easily be overlooked is to ensure that the microphone stands are at the correct height for the individuals. Additionally, the angle of the microphone is important to ensure that it picks up speech clearly. Obviously these things need to be done once the court is preparing for the session and all parties are present. Prepare well in advance and check out all the equipment to make sure it is working correctly will ensure you are confident that it will all go smoothly during the proceedings. The recordings will be accurate, clear and precise without any problems occurring that could potentially interrupt the court case. Lawrence Reaves writes for Cook and Wiley, a court reporting firm in the Central Virginia area that offers great court reporting and video conferencing. For more informaiton on Cook and Wiley and their services click here.
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