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Tennessee Court Reporters Association

Student Corner

Congratulations, students, on making the decision to enter into the court reporting profession! As well, we wish to thank you for becoming a student member of TCRA. You've taken the first step towards your career in court reporting. Because we recognize that students are the future of our profession, we want to help you and encourage you along the way. So whether you are just beginning theory classes or passing speeds at 80, 160, 200 or even 225 wpm, TCRA is here for you!

Speaker Identification

Submitted by Laqueta Soule, CRI, CPE

Chattanooga State Community College

“Speaker identification practice today, students,” says the teacher. “Oh, no, I knew I should have skipped class today!” Students, is this your first reaction? Come on – it’s not so bad! You just need to practice.

How to Select a CAT System

When it's time to purchase your first CAT system, what options should you consider. James M. Mizanin, RDR, CRI, CMRS writes an article on the NCRA Web site about features to consider. Click here to read the article.

A Long Road From Student to Reporter

By Michelle Huskey-Smith

Michelle Huskey-Smith writes about her experience transitioning from student to reporter. Check out her article from the NCRA Web site here.

Tips for Speedbuilding

Get in the zone. Is your mind wandering during practice or test taking? Concentration is a huge part of this job, and it's difficult to stop thoughts from coming to your mind at the wrong time. To start off, during your practice time, push any thoughts or distractions out of your mind and focus on the material you are listening to. Practice one-minute takes at first, increasing to two-minute takes and so forth, until you can accomplish the complete five-minute take without distractions. You'll be passing tests before you know it!
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Certification

The goal of all certification programs is to raise the level of competence and professionalism of the practitioners in the industry. For the individual practitioner, certification provides a specific road map of the knowledge and skills needed in order to meet minimum standards of qualification, as well as an independent validation of competence that reporters can use to distinguish themselves in the market. There is clearly a public stake in the competent performance of reporters, and in some cases life and liberty rely on the record.

Resume Preparation

If you’re looking for a position in your new career of court reporting, you will need a good resume. Carol Matchett of Clayton Reporting writes a great article about resume preparation and tips to follow. The article is called “Getting Your Foot in the Door.” This article is posted on NCRA’s website in the student section. Just click here.

Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART)

Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) is a word-for-word speech to text translation for people who need assistance with communication access. It is provided by a court reporter who has been specifically trained to provide this service. CART can benefit people who are late-deafened, oral deaf, hard of hearing, or who have cochlear implants. Deaf individuals may also use CART in a variety of situations.

What is Realtime?

Realtime technology allows court reporters to instantly convert their Stenographic notes into English text and, thus, allowing attorneys instant access to the written record during a judicial proceeding.