TRANSCRIPT COSTS IN THE UNITED STATES VS. TSARNAEV TRIAL

The article posted by Hilary Sargent on Boston.com on March 10, 2015, titled “You Could Buy the Tsarnaev Trial Transcript.  Or You Could Buy a Range Rover” raised the ire of court reporters across the Commonwealth.  Ms. Sargent focuses on the high cost of obtaining the trial transcript but not on the skill required to produce one.

Yes, the transcript is expensive.  Any product of value is.  Transcripts cannot be produced by a lay person.  It requires a unique skill that only a certified professional court reporter can provide. 

Imagine if you were responsible for writing on a machine every word uttered verbatim during this trial, and who said it, hour after hour, day after day, for an estimated 68 days of trial.  Imagine the concentration skills required to write, almost error free, approximately 225 pages per day, or approximately 15,300 pages by trial’s end.  Imagine the added pressure a trial of this magnitude presents.  This is not counting the hours spent in preparation before the trial or editing time after the court has adjourned for the day.        

Marcia Patrisso, the court reporter responsible for this trial, has earned two of the  National Court Reporters Association’s most coveted credentials, credentials attained by only a small minority of her peers:  the Registered Merit Reporter and Certified Realtime Reporter designations.  A Registered Merit Reporter can write at speeds of 260 words per minute with 95 percent accuracy, and a Certified Realtime Reporter can produce an unedited transcript in realtime with 96 percent accuracy.  Ms. Patrisso has proven her ability through testing, certification, and experience.  She has invested in her education, software, and equipment, at her own expense, so that she can perform the duties required of her.  She has earned her place in the courtroom.

Owning a Range Rover sure sounds appealing, especially considering the historic winter we’ve just endured; however, it can’t compare to the value verbatim transcripts provide to litigants, lawyers, and judges in courtrooms across the country, transcripts prepared by certified court reporters, guardians of the record.

Connie Psaros, RPR
Doris O. Wong Associates, Inc.

MARCH 4, 2015 - TODAY IS NATIONAL GRAMMAR DAY!

Imagine our excitement when we learned that today, March 4, 2015, is National Grammar Day!  Court reporters deal with words, grammar, and punctuation every day.  When we edit our transcripts, we look up unfamiliar words, pay attention to sentence structure, and often agonize over what mark of punctuation would work best in a certain situation.  Seminars are given every year on this very topic, and I for one learn something new at every seminar.  You probably will never see such spirited debate over comma placement!   

It is not uncommon at our office lunch table to have discussions about things written in the daily newspaper.  Just this morning, we came across this sentence in the daily Metro:  “A couple of newlyweds who were injured in the Boston Marathon bombings are separating.”  We immediately thought two couples, four people, were separating; but after sorting through the rest of the article, it became apparent that only one couple was calling it quits.  We think it would have been better if the article had said “a newlywed couple is separating” or “newlyweds are separating,” unless of course the author meant two separate people not married to each other are separating.  It can get pretty confusing!

Of course gaffes are not limited to print media.  How often do you hear a newscaster deliver a blunder that has you either scratching your head or covering your ears?  Proper grammar matters.  A poor grasp of the English language will hold you back professionally.  Your message will be lost if you cannot communicate it correctly. 

Note the huge difference comma placement makes in these two sentences:

Let’s eat grandma.

Let’s eat, Grandma.

Please spare grandma’s life and use a comma!

All kidding aside, grammar is important business.

Today court reporters will join teachers, editors, writers, and journalists in celebrating National Grammar Day, which was established in 2008 by Martha Brockenbrough, founder of the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar.