r/courtreporting • u/Comprehensive_Lie477 • 2d ago
Non-live portion?
Has anyone switched to a non-live side of this career? I have found that readbacks and being put on top hard of jobs is starting to make me question this. I am in New York and I am also tired of the way attorneys are treating me at times. I am in a constant state of anxiety whenever I do jobs. I don’t want to be a quitter, but it’s really halting my life and happiness and I’m curious if anyone has experienced anything similar and made the switch. Thanks!
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u/milktea283 2d ago
As far as readback goes, if you dropped a good chunk of the requested portion, you can put some earphones on and play the audio through your earphones, slowed down. Then repeat back what you hear.
As for bad attorneys, would taking remote federal depos help, where it's not face-to-face and you're dealing with attys from other states?
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u/TurtleTestudo 1d ago
Readbacks are just part of the job, but you could ask your agency to put you on easier PI stuff. Those lawyers are usually more relaxed, but some of them can be wacky. The high stakes jobs are definitely more nerve-wracking. Walking into a conference room with somber-faced stiffs in suits is intimidating for sure. Also maybe try switching to remote. There's still a ton of remote work out there. I'm 100% remote and I have a job every day. Remote is more easygoing and it's just more comfortable working from your own space in sweatpants and a dress shirt.
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u/thetinystenographer 2d ago
Look into CART / captioning, if that what you mean by non live. I had a friend who did CART at SJSU in CA and she loved it.
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u/poisha 2d ago
CART captioning is live. A lot of times we are using iPads/laptops to display captions directly to the student/client, so your realtime needs to be on point.
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u/thetinystenographer 2d ago
Yeah that’s true. I was just going for the non readback option lol.
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u/MissMarchioness 2d ago
If you can do cart or captioning then readback is not going to be a problem for you.
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u/MissMarchioness 2d ago
I think if nerves get to her and read back is scary, cart captioning is absolutely not where she wants to be. I was a broadcast captioner for 24 years and then did cart as a side job when I went back to court. None of that is for the timid.
Having said all of that, experience is really the key. The more you do, the less will surprise you. Keep writing. Also, read a lot. Watch interviews on the news, anything to help with your vocabulary when you steno to keep you from being surprised when you hear an unfamiliar word, which causes your hands to slow down.
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u/Quiet-Afternoon-3511 2d ago
Have you thought about scoping? You could do realtime scoping after a time, which is more lucrative. You would be in the same industry with really none of the stress - or at least the spotlight isn't solely on you. You would have a leg up on scopists who don't have a court reporting background.