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.  

National Court Reporters Association Court Reporting & Captioning Week

The National Court Reporters Association is celebrating its third annual Court Reporting & Captioning Week to take place February 15 through  21, 2015.  One goal of this annual event is to educate the public about court reporting as a rewarding career.  There is a current shortage of court reporters, and projections show that there will be 5,500 job openings in the next five years.  Another goal of this event is to recognize the valuable contributions court reporters and captioners make as keepers of the record, as captioners for television, and as CART providers for the deaf and hard-of-hearing.  Court reporters are currently on the forefront here in Boston as they are reporting two high profile trials:  the Dzhokhar Tsarnaev/Boston Marathon Bombing case and the murder trial of former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez. 

This week we will highlight some thoughts from our reporters about their profession.  Our reporters collectively have hundreds of years of combined experience.  They are the best the profession has to offer as far as work ethic and commitment to quality and service.  They are all certified by our state and national associations; they continue to invest in their education; and they go the extra mile every day to accommodate our clients’ requests.  They utilize the latest technology to produce the timely verbatim transcripts our clients have come to rely on for over 47 years.  Look for their perspectives in the coming week!  

COURT REPORTERS ON THE FOREFRONT

Here in Boston two high-profile matters will soon be brought to trial, the former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez murder case and the Dzhokhar Tsarnaev/Boston Marathon Bombing case.  Both matters have garnered national attention, so much so that the process of jury selection alone, especially in the Tsarnaev case, will be long and arduous.  The stakes are high on both sides, and the public’s interest has not waned with the passage of time.  All eyes may be on the defendants, but ours will be on the court reporters.

The court reporters who are assigned to cover these lengthy trials will be charged with capturing every word spoken.  They will be under immense pressure, as they will probably have to provide a realtime feed to counsel and the Court , and perhaps others off site, as well as quick, if not immediate, transcript delivery.  To accomplish this, they will have done their due diligence, reading as much about their assigned case as possible and putting words into their respective dictionaries. 

During the trials, a parade of witnesses will appear before them, some with accents, some speaking at breakneck speeds, others speaking softly or mumbling, and it will fall on them to navigate through it all, performing their duties quietly and unobtrusively, with limited interruptions.  There will be arguments, bench conferences, noises in the background that interfere with their concentration.  No doubt there will be thick binders of exhibits to keep track of as well as the chronology of witness testimony under direct, cross, redirect, and recross examinations.  In addition, they may have to field requests from the press for immediate transcript excerpts. 

These reporters will basically put their lives on hold to concentrate on the task at hand, reporting by day and editing by night, for weeks at a time.  We anticipate both trials, but especially the Tsarnaev trial, will be challenging and exhausting, but we are sure they will have a great sense of personal and professional pride and accomplishment in the end. 

Hats off to our dedicated and talented colleagues.  They are proving that they are an indispensible part of the legal system.  We will be cheering them on from the sidelines.

CHRISTMAS IN THE CITY

Christmas in the City is a nonprofit, 100% volunteer-run organization that works to ameliorate the affects of homelessness.  Every year they host a holiday party with gifts for every child.  Last year there were over 3,000 guests.  Jake Kennedy is a co-founder of this event.  He runs Kennedy Brothers Physical Therapy in Downtown Boston. 

Thanks to the generous support of the reporters and staff at Doris O. Wong Associates, Inc., we were able to present nine $25 Marshalls gift certificates to this worthy cause.  Children of all ages have special wishes during the holidays, but we specifically had the older children in mind, since they are often overlooked.  They are homeless and without resources.  With their gift cards, they can go to Marshalls and choose something to their liking.

There is still time to make a donation.  Donations and toys may be dropped off at the Kennedy Brothers office at 45 Franklin Street, Boston.

“GOOD ENOUGH” is NOT GOOD ENOUGH

It is alarming to think that attorneys would settle for mediocre transcripts to build their cases.  In the court reporting profession, we are trained to write every word the participants speak.  We are entrusted with complex matters, confidential testimony, sometimes intimate details of people’s lives.  Every word counts; every word needs to be preserved.  All litigants deserve a professional who will deliver a verbatim transcript in a timely manner.  There IS a difference among court reporters.  Transcripts that are just “good enough” have no place in the marketplace, and a “passable” product is unacceptable when people’s affairs and your reputation are on the line.

You do not need to settle for second-rate transcripts that contain “drops” or missing words in the recorded testimony, incorrect translations, or transcript margins and indentations that are too generous.  Call Doris O. WongAssociates, Inc., for your next deposition or hearing, and see the difference.  Our certified court reporters have proven records of accuracy, reliability, and integrity.  These dedicated professionals prepare every transcript with the utmost care and attention to detail.  When they certify their transcripts, they do so with pride and confidence, knowing that they are delivering a top-notch product our clients can rely on in court.

Court Reporters: Swearing in a Witness

Connie Psaros, RPR, recently wrote a blog for Prince Institue.  Thought we'd share the article.

One of the most important duties a court reporter performs is swearing in a witness. In Massachusetts, the notary laws state that a witness’s identity must first be verified by their presentation of a government-issued photo ID, such as a license or passport.

When swearing in a witness, speak slowly and clearly. Administering an oath sets the tone for the deposition. An attorney told me once that a reporter rattled off the oath so quickly that he was compelled to ask her, “Do you want me to ask the questions that fast?” Good point. An oath administered slowly and deliberately will remind the witness of the seriousness of the occasion and will hopefully help to set the pace of the proceedings.

I have never forgotten this valuable piece of advice I once received on this topic: Make sure you get an audible response from the witness. If you receive a nod or a shake of the head, ask for a verbal response. If you receive any other kind of response other than a “yes,” such as, “I’ll do my best” or “I guess so,” write those exact words on your machine. In any event, after you swear in a witness, make a note to that effect somewhere, either on your machine or on your work papers, so that you can look a judge in the eye and affirm that the oath was indeed administered.

Almost every reporter at least once in their career forgets to swear in a witness. If this happens to you during the deposition, you must alert counsel. They will then probably ask you to administer the oath retroactively. If you discover your omission after the deposition has concluded, then you must make that very awkward phone call to the attorneys to notify them of your oversight. You can only hope the matter will be resolved without contention. This is why getting in the habit of making a note that you DID swear in the witness is a good practice to follow.

I have come across several situations that gave me pause. Be prepared with an oath to administer to a child and an oath to administer to an interpreter. Some people would rather “affirm” than “swear” to tell the truth. Some do not want a reference to God in the oath. And believe it or not, before you ask someone to raise their right hand, make sure they have one!  (This actually happened)

In short, don’t be one of those reporters who indifferently spews out the oath. Treat this task with the respect and deference it deserves.

http://info.princeinstitute.edu/blog/bid/177597/court-reporters-swearing-in-a-witness?source=Blog_Email_[Court+Reporters%3A+Swe