How many of you are offering audio-synced E-transcripts?

How many of you are offering audio-synced E-transcripts?   We've been doing this for a couple of years now.  I e-mail my ASCII and digital audio file to my agency, and they sync the audio with the transcript and provide it to our clients.  The request for audio-synced transcripts is growing.   It's the future of court reporting to provide both print and audio.   Doing so will ensure job security.  They've done this with videos for years.   Audio provides a more accurate transcript, so let's embrace this and make money from it.   Is this becoming more common in your area too?

Never never never!

No, never heard of this, and I wouldn't provide the audio.  The audio is to help the reporter in preparing the transcript, which I consider my work product.  It is only for me to use to check a word or a portion of the testimony.  I would not provide it to an agency.  Our job is to take down the testimony and provide a transcript, not audio.  I would guess you are working for the one of the national companies who promises everything at next to nothing to their client at the expense of the reporter??

I know of one agency in our state that is doing this - a FREE audio synched with the text.   The reporters who work for them provide the agency a rough draft, the rough is scopist who edits it against the audio, word for word, and then the final is sent out without the reporter ever seeing it again.  The reporter is paid less but the theory is they can take more work because they're not having to edit or proof their transcripts!  Scaaarrryy!! IMHO!!  And the firm is charging a lot less to the attorneys than the other reporting firms.  Thank God that their clients aren't asking or expecting other reporting firms to do this!!!!

Anyway, I've been reporting for almost 30 years, and if this was a requirement of my job, I would definitely find something else to do.  There is NO WAY anyone can make more money doing this job providing an audio synched transcript.  That means that you would HAVE to listen to each job word for word, just like a video depo.  I get paid half or less than half of what it costs me to hire a scopist to listen to my video depos word for word because it is so time consuming I won't do it myself.  I can produce a final 200-pg non video transcript in about 5 to 6 hours.  That same transcript, if it's video and I'm doing the listening, it will take me about 10 to 12 hrs to produce that same transcript.  In other words, I can produce 400 pages in the same amount of time it takes me to produce 200 pgs of a video.  Considering I'm only making maybe an extra 25 to 50 cents a page for video, I can't possibly see where I'm making more money by providing an audiosynched copy of 200 pgs in the time I could produce 400 pgs.   I would be making half as much as I make now, which sometimes is never enough for what we do, period! 

There are digital "court reporters."  Maybe, CTReporter, you should consider being one of those.  That way you could still provide the audiosynched transcript but you don't have to bother to go to the effort of writing it on a steno machine. 

I agree with fstfngers above, I would never provide my audio for a few reasons, why should an agency get a cut of my audio, unless they want to pay me the 100 percent of audio since I paid 100 percent of the software, and two, then we are taking business away from videographers, which I think is unfair.  We have to save everyone's job in our field, from interpreter to videographer to proofreaders/scopists down to the reporters. 

I agree with all of the rest of the reporters.  (We are reporters, not tape recorders.)  I'd never agree to doing this.

In what area of the country do you work, ctreporter?

LOL, I couldn't provide an audio, I'm on Case Cat 3.2 still!!!  I provide a transcript.  I've been doing this since 1986, and only once I had to synch a transcript to an audio, and there was a videographer there and gave me the audio.  I am finally thinking of going to Case Cat 12, but worried I have to learn new software.  I'm so old school!  My friend is still on Premiere Power, so I don't feel that bad, haha.

It's hard to believe you're not involved in the money end of this somehow, somewhere, some way.  When I say "the money end," I am not speaking about higher page rates to you.  I have the feeling you're not either.  Personally, I think you're nuts and should go into sales.  You're certainly pushy enough for it.  Leave the reporting to the real reporters :)

I'm not selling anything.  I was just asking a question.

I'm baffled at some of your comments.  Court Reporters ARE SALESPEOPLE!   We proove our worth every day at every job.  Things need to change in this profession so that it will attract MORE reporters, and so attorneys won't want to replace us.   Success rates for finishing CR school are lower than ever.  Even the schooling needs to change.

Change starts with us....the court reporters.

Never heard of it and I'd never give it up either.  Sounds fishy.  Still won't share what state she/he works in.  I don't see how this is the future of court-reporting.  Probably works for one of those agencies that are putting small firms out of business for a nickel less a page.

I wrote a little post regarding this topic:

Take Control and Get Paid For It

http://courtreportinglife.typepad.com/court-reporting-life/2011/11/take-control-and-get-paid-for-it.html

Oh, so you came up with the concept?  We all have to thank you, then.  I always thought it was the one of the many CAT software companies who did.  FYI, I am neither disillusioned, lost, uninformed nor searching for what to do next, and I feel many of my colleagues feel the same way.  You still won't tell us what state you're in.  I've never heard of an agency doing this and mine certainly doesn't nor would ever.  Also, I would never transcribe another reporter's notes from a court proceeding the way you describe it because I wasn't there UNLESS there was a legitimate emergency.  Then I would only consider trying to help out.  I don't see how your idea helps us.  I agree with Andi.  As he stated above, "Personally, I think you're nuts and should go into sales.  You're certainly pushy enough for it.  Leave the reporting to the real reporters."

I never said I own an agency.  If I did, I'd have stated so.  But you sound like you do, or at least you should.  I work for a very ethical and fair firm in the San Francisco Bay Area and I've been working a lot longer than you have.  What I think is hurting our profession is people like you.  The written steno IS the official record, not the audio file as you're peddling it.  You seem to be so on top of things and know so much.  More power to you, then, for "helping" some of those lost and uninformed souls.  I feel for them.  You still won't share what state you're in.

I'm from Illinois and the law says, the steno notes should be kept for a period no less than 5 years. Does it means the audio file associated with the steno notes, too? Or only the steno notes had to be kept but the audio files can be deleted? Please if you know about this, respond to this post.

Thanks.