Technology has evolved in significant and exciting ways over the past several years. However, there are numerous reasons human court reporters should not be afraid of their jobs being replaced by computers anytime soon.
ACCURACY OF THE RECORD IS PARAMOUNT
Accuracy is important for many types of jobs, but arguably none more so than court reporters. It’s the court reporter’s job to document and transcribe court proceedings and depositions. While voice recognition, artificial intelligence and other high-tech software tools are readily available, they are simply not accurate enough to take a human court reporter’s place.
If you’ve ever used “voice to text,” digital assistants such as Siri or Alexa, or other voice-recognition tools, you likely already know firsthand how background noise, mumbling or simply not enunciating clearly can produce some odd results. When people speak in accents or dialects, a human ear can understand and transcribe what’s being said; not so with today’s voice recognition and recording technologies.
TECHNOLOGY CANNOT LIMIT TRANSCRIPTS TO WHAT’S NECESSARY
Even if the accuracy of voice recording and recognition tools increases, there is another reason technology is unlikely to take the place of human court reporters. That’s because active listening technology tools cannot determine whether a conversation should be part of the official record or whether it’s an off-the-record exchange. Digital recordings could inadvertently make privileged information public.
COURT REPORTERS PRODUCE A REAL-TIME FEED
Court reporters also go beyond voice recording tools by providing real-time transcripts of proceedings as they occur. These feeds are often made available through court reporting technology such as synchronized video depositions for remote viewing, keyword searching and highlighting while the record is still being recorded. This functionality simply isn’t an option today without human court reporters. In addition, human court reporters are also available to interpret their transcripts or to answer questions about them — something technology doesn’t offer.
HUMAN COURT REPORTERS ARE MORE COST-EFFECTIVE
The cost of switching to technology for court reporting would likely outweigh the cost of relying on more accurate human court reporters. There are hardware costs to consider in addition to network upgrades, server and system maintenance, server storage considerations, and other expenses that make court reporters’ wages pale in comparison.
A POSITIVE JOB OUTLOOK WITH GROWTH POTENTIAL
There is no doubt that technology has improved court reporting. Yet it’s not realistic to think that it will eliminate the need for actual court reporters. Court reporting remains a solid field of study for career possibilities that will not be obsolete in a few years.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of court reporters is expected to grow by 3 percent between 2016 and 2026. What’s more, the National Court Reporters Association projects that as many as 5,500 working court reporters will retire in the next several years — creating a need for skilled, trained court reporters.Discover How Generations College Can Help Launch Your Court Reporting Career
DISCOVER HOW GENERATIONS COLLEGE CAN HELP LAUNCH YOUR COURT REPORTING CAREER
Generations College, the first Court Reporting Program in the nation, has been proudly training court reporters since 1912. We offer a fully accredited Associate of Applied Science degree in Court Reporting — providing students hands-on, skills-based learning opportunities including supervised internships. Our graduates can be found in and around the Chicago area, throughout greater Illinois, and across the country working as professional court reporters in governmental, administrative and judicial venues.
To learn more about Generations College’s court reporting program and other on-campus and online degree programs, contact ustoday.