Speed Kills

One of the greatest challenges facing court reporters, novice and veteran alike, is fast-talking witnesses and lawyers.  Speed instantly ratchets up the level of difficulty.  Believe it or not, reporting the testimony of a slow-speaking neurosurgeon can be easier than that of a fast-speaking lay witness. 

When one speaks at breakneck speed, clarity suffers.  Words can be misheard.  “September” sounds like “December.”   Little words such as “in” or “and” are difficult to hear.  Tenses become unclear.  It is hard to distinguish between “said” and “says,” “can” and “can’t,” and “did” and “didn’t,” especially when those words appear at the beginning of a question.  “Didn’t she say she killed her husband?” has a different meaning than “Did she say she killed her husband?”   Reporters also punctuate on the fly which becomes more difficult when the speaker is speaking so fast that his sentences seem to run together.

But speed is just one element.  If a speaker’s voice barely registers above a whisper, if he has an accent, if the testimony is technical in nature, or if there are other competing background noises, such as a noisy air conditioner or ongoing construction, the reporter will have a difficult time. 

Reporters ask lawyers and witnesses to slow down all the time, but it is difficult for a speaker to change his natural speaking pattern.  Some will make an earnest effort but will be unable to keep it up for long.

As reporters, our main goal is to make a verbatim record and to be as unobtrusive as possible, but there are times when an interruption is necessary.  If the reporter does not understand you because of excessive speaking speed, chances are the judge and jury won’t understand you either.  So when a reporter asks for your cooperation in making a clear record, be assured that there’s a good reason.