Attorneys and court reporters alike refer to deposition and courtroom transcripts as “accurate, verbatim” transcripts. What exactly does that mean?

First, it’s important to understand what a transcript is.  A transcript is a written account of a conversation, interview, hearing, or other meeting which involves dialogue or presented information that may be useful for reference at a future date. A verbatim transcript is a transcript which captures each moment and utterance with complete, accurate detail—in other words, a truly verbatim account.

In a verbatim transcript, there is no clean-up of grammatical errors or mispronunciations. Every utterance is to be recorded as it was made, often necessitating the creative use of punctuation in order to accurately convey false starts, repetitions, and other non-standard speech elements. Non-verbal sounds are usually noted within parentheses, such as to describe coughs, laughter, or ambient sounds like doors opening and closing.
Creating a verbatim transcript also requires nuanced attention in order to faithfully depict important information such as deep breaths, long pauses, and auditory cues such as sighs. All of these seemingly minor elements of human interaction help to paint a more vivid picture of a conversation, which can depict the mood or mental state of a respondent.

Court proceedings and other such legal hearings often require detailed accounts as the transcripts may be later referenced to identify conflicting statements made by a plaintiff or defendant, for example. Many organizations may utilize verbatim transcripts as well, including government agencies, medical groups, and educational institutions.

GREATER RALEIGH COURT REPORTING HAS CERTIFIED REPORTERS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCE IN PROVIDING ACCURATE VERBATIM TRANSCRIPTS.  BOOK YOUR NEXT DEPOSITION ONLINE NOW  OR CALL US AT:  919-586-8011.