Under the larger umbrella of jobs that convert spoken word to written word, there are a variety of roles that all provide crucial and unique services. In a legal context, jobs like stenographer and digital reporter help maintain a helpful record of legal proceedings, and can even be cited as evidence during a trial. But what exactly is a stenographer, and how does it relate to a typist or a transcriptionist?

Let’s take a deep dive into stenographers vs. transcriptionists, including their similarities, differences, and how typists and court reporters enter into the mix.

Stenographer 101

The key to being a stenographer is writing in shorthand while listening to a person speaking. Stenographers use shorthand to transcribe speech as fast as people are talking — in fact, a stenographer can type up to 300 words per minute on their stenography machine! These machines break words down by syllable, allowing stenographers to type larger words and sentences in a shorter amount of time.

Traits Needed

The most important things you need to be a stenographer are strong listening skills and good attention to detail. If you haven’t noticed, people can sometimes speak pretty quickly. And as stenographers are usually typing live, they’ll need to be able to not only hear what the person is saying, but convert it to shorthand quickly.

The most necessary skills for stenographers are:

• Active listening skills
• Long attention span
• Ability to type quickly
• Shorthand knowledge (Don’t know shorthand? Don’t fret! Steno programs and schools will teach you everything you need to know)
• Hand-eye coordination

Use Cases

The most popular use case for stenographers is legal proceedings. Lawyers and judges rely on stenographers to accurately retain testimonies, depositions, and other court proceedings. They have a similar use in the medical field, where they can accurately record medical conversations.

Other times stenographers may be useful include: providing captions (like CART) for live television or events, transcribing lectures or panels at live events, or keeping records of business meetings.

Transcriptionists

The biggest difference between a stenographer and a transcriptionist is that a transcriptionist solely transcribes recorded materials, like audio or video. Transcriptionists work by listening to the recordings and transcribing them, either on a traditional keyboard or on a stenotype (like the ones stenographers use).

Skills Required

Transcriptionists don’t need quite the attention span that stenographers do, as they are able to pause the recording and rewind if they need to clarify what was said. However, the job still requires typing and listening ability, and the ability to keep the transcription grammatically correct.

The most necessary skills for transcriptionists are:

• Typing ability
• Time management to transcribe and complete long recordings
• Computer skills to learn the correct programs needed
• Attention to detail
• An understanding of basic spelling and grammar rules

Where Transcriptionists are Needed

Transcriptionists work anywhere that a recorded piece of media needs to be translated into the written word. This may be useful in academic settings, if a professor wants their lectures to be made into documents, or in a medical setting, recording an important medical seminar or conversation between patient and doctor.

What is a Typist?

A typist is someone who works with typing, usually on a keyboard. The difference between a typist and a stenographer or a transcriptionist is that a typist doesn’t necessarily transcribe spoken word as a part of their day-to-day (though they may occasionally). Typists may also perform non-transcription tasks like writing meeting reports, terms and conditions, policies, etc.

Traits of a Good Typist

The only real quality a typist needs is the ability to use a computer well. Typists need to not only have a fast typing speed, but they also need to have a working knowledge of computer programs, word processing programs, and more. They’ll also need to know their industry like the back of their hand, as understanding the information they’re given and turning it into an accurate document is key to their success.

When Typists are Helpful

Typists are helpful when you require someone with working knowledge of a computer, typing prowess, and grammar/punctuation proficiency. They can transcribe spoken word or handwritten documents, or write other necessary company documents. This makes them potentially more useful for a business than a stenographer or a transcriptionist, as they have more uses.

How to Know If You Need a Stenographer, Transcriptionist, or Typist

Deciphering whether you need a stenographer, transcriptionist, or typist can be done by first determining what exactly you need them to do, as each of these positions specializes in a different task.

The basic rules for which position you need are:

• Stenographer: You need someone to transcribe spoken words live, such as during a conversation or a court hearing.
• Transcriptionist: You need someone to transcribe an audio or video recording that is not live.
• Typist: You need someone to perform a variety of typing tasks, which may or may not include transcribing at all!

What About Digital Reporters?

Digital reporters have a similar position to stenographers, but there are some key differences. Digital reporter’s record the audio from the court proceeding and transcribe it, creating a thorough notation of the hearing.

A digital reporter’s transcription is also admissible in court, and is often the official record of the court proceedings. Therefore, a digital court reporter must make sure their work is thorough and accurate. This means that court reporters need to have extensive legal vocabulary and some crucial court reporter tools to do their job effectively.

Bringing Rev Into the Courtroom

Transcriptions are required in the courtroom as they provide official documentation of key details or events that took place during court proceedings. Because of this, getting accurate transcripts you can trust is key to upholding the law and staying compliant.

Here at Rev, our transcription services can help make your transcription work easier. Our ASR and human workflow loop provides comprehensive and accurate front-to-back transcripts that can help legal teams get their jobs done faster. We can take your recordings of court proceedings and create a reliable, court-admissible record. All we need is the audio, video, or body-cam footage that you want transcribed.

Get It Down On Paper

Now that you understand the basic differences between these roles, the question remains: how do you get started getting the help you need? Similar to many other questions in the legal field, the answer is the same: do your research.

The best transcription services understand how important it is to put the spoken word down on paper exactly as it was said, every single time. This is crucial to ensuring that justice is served. Learn more about Reva and let us help transcribe your legal videos and audio recordings.