The work of a stenographer or court reporter is an art. Today’s video introduces some basic elements of their work and the keyboard they use.
Did you know that the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) and federal courts require a minimum speed of 225 wpm with high accuracy (usually 95% to 98%) to get certified or hired? I can’t remember a time in my life when I typed anything with 98% accuracy without reflexively hitting the backspace key a bazillion times.
Before 1879, court reporting was done using shorthand. (Side trivia note: Charles Dickens (1812-1870), before becoming a famous author, was one of the fastest and most accurate parliamentary reporters in London while using his own variation of shorthand.) In 1879, the first stenograph machine was invented (see link for a picture).
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