The voice writing method of court reporting (formerly known
as Stenomask reporting) has been around for almost 80 years and is used in the
US military, federal courts, Congress, and in most states, but until now voice writers
have been completely shut out of one state – California. California statute
defines “shorthand” as “the making, by means of written symbols
or abbreviations in shorthand or machine shorthand writing,” and only
court reporters that have passed the state-administered Certified Shorthand
Reporter examination are permitted to practice in the state.

Facing a critical court reporter shortage, the Court
Reporters Board of California (CRB) decided to investigate the possibility of
allowing voice writers to take the licensing exam, utilizing voice writing
equipment. North Carolina-based court reporter Tori Pittman, who trained as a
stenotype reporter and then trained as a voice writer after developing
repetitive stress injuries, demonstrated the method for the Board and answered
questions.

After the meeting, the CRB surveyed licensees. Though just
1/3 of licensed court reporters either had no opinion or were in favor of
allowing voice writers to test, the CRB determined that was a sufficiently
positive reception, and announced they will allow voice writers to sit for the
licensing examination in the near future, possibly as early as March, 2019.
Voice writers will be held to the same standards as stenotype reporters during
the test and in practice; the only difference will be the equipment used to
capture the record.

For most professionals, change is scary, and technology has
rapidly impacted the court reporting field. As the California Deposition
Reporters Association wrote in an email to members, “Working together with
open minds to keep our profession strong…is more important than ever.”

At Greater Raleigh Court Reporting, we’ve proudly embraced new
technologies and maintain that the quality of the transcript isn’t dependent
upon the reporter’s method, but the reporter’s skill. We are pleased to see
that the CRB has officially recognized this as well.

Book your next deposition now with Greater Raleigh Court Reporting:  http://raleighcourtreporter.com/schedule-service