NCJ Number
94825
Date Published
1981
Length
44 pages
Annotation
Telephone interviews with 58 official Federal court reporters who used computer-aided transcription (CAT) in 1980 provide the basis for a discussion of the benefits and disadvantages of CAT and reasons why the technology is not used more extensively.
Abstract
The primary reason for resistance to CAT appears to be the need for substantial personal commitments in time and money. About 60 percent of the Federal court reporters using CAT had found no appreciable improvement in their transcript efficiency, and respondents expressed disappointment with the extensive amount of time required to build the computer translation dictionaries and reach reasonable levels of proficiency. Also, the costs for most Federal court reporters using CAT still exceed the costs for employing more traditional transcription methods. According to the survey results, most CAT reporters work in the Second, Fifth, and Ninth Circuits. Yet, CAT transcripts are substantially better in appearance and have a considerably reduced number of typographical errors. CAT has helped many court reporters improve their stenographic writing styles and become more proficient in taking the original record at judicial proceedings. Many reporters preferred CAT over any traditional transcription method. At this time, a more rigorous analysis of CAT's capabilities and other court reporting methods is needed before any decision is made regarding Federal financial support of CAT projects. Tables and 15 footnotes are supplied.