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Writing Realtime
I just realized that this should have probably gone into this forum instead of the General. Administrator, you may want to take it off of the General forum. Not trying to load up the website here.
WRITING REALTIME
I want to throw my two cents in the ring of how to write realtime and what my thoughts are on the subject with the understanding that no, I don't have my CRR or any such certificate other than doing it since around 1992.
What does it take to write realtime? I would say that it takes a lot of courage and confidence. Probably have to be a little "out there" to do this too. You have to basically be willing to bare your soul to all who are watching you write and show them the best you have to offer as well as the worst.
To start off, a person who chooses to write realtime should have a solid foundation in their theory that they learned and then know how to funnel that from what they hear to their fingers, to the writer and then to the computer. Being one who reads current events and follows the news and reads what's going on in their surroundings also helps one to write a better realtime job for the client. This gives you the ability to put things in your dictionary, or at least be familiar with what might come up based on where you live. You never know what a witness will have to say that may be totally unrelated to what they are testifying about. "How about them Lady Vols?" "I can't believe Governor Spitzer." Those are some examples of unexpected words that might come up, but, having followed the current events, one could expect that.
The next thing that I feel is very important is a very good understanding of your software, regardless of which one you have. Understanding how the translation engine works is vital in being able to provide good realtime. You have to know how your software will handle the prefixes as well as the suffixes. We all know the basic suffixes of "-ing, -ed, -er, -s." But, stop and think about words like "-urology, -ification, -ectomy, -oma," etc. I could go on and on about suffixes. When coming across medical terms or other expert terms, think about how you could break that word down based on possible endings of that particular word that may also be used a different way. You could have "magnification" as well as "pontification." The "ification" part is something you may want to consider separating out in your dictionary and defining it to work by itself based upon your program's ability to handle it.
Next, when working with your prefixes, if your software gives you the ability to manipulate your prefixes and suffixes, go in their and look at them and see how the progarm has been set up to handle them. If you can make your own adjustments, understand and know how to do that, without messing up your translator. Most of the programs now are set up to handle prefixes and suffixes very well and the programmers have spent a lot of time programming the software to handle these problems, but there could be something come up and you should know how you can adjust the software or your writing style to solve potential problems that could happen to you.
Next, I can't stress the importance of having a very solid grasp on how you write your alphabet, how you fingerspell, how you stitch your outlines. Being able to fingerspell on the fly could mean the difference between an untranslate flying across the screen or you actually being able to write the word correctly on the fly. If you haven't perfected these areas, you definitely need to focus on them first, in my opinion. Having "ABC Corporation" come up instead of "a be see Corporation" is a definite must. Have the knowledge on how to define these. Know how your software handles them. Do they space correctly around the "ABC" or do they not. When fingerspelling, be comfortable with whether or not the first letter is capped or not capped. When someone spells something, can your software fix the letters after you've written them together and then put the stitching in, or, do you have to stitch them as you go. Acronyms, fingerspelling and stitching are three areas that, once mastered, can save you a lot of times and make you look real good.
Many programs now can help you a lot after something has gone across the screen. There are ways to go back and fix stuff from your steno machine. There are ways to write steno strokes that performing editing commands for you or run macros that can go back and fix an untranslate for you without you having to even touch the QWERTY keyboard. Have a working knowlege of some of the basic "editing commands" that your software and do for you. Being willing to let your software program work for you and not fighting it is vital in being able to provide realtime. You may have to change an outline or the way you write something. Be willing to explore the options and consider the change. Don't bury your head in the sand or be so stubborn that you're not willing to change.
Another important area to writing realtime is having an understanding how your software is going to act with regard to how it outputs the text to the attorney's viewing software. Some programs now can refresh the screens that the attorneys are viewing. Some can't. Some reporting software and be set up to delay the output to the attorney's screen until the reporter wants it to go out. If you have a scopist sitting next to you, or is hooked up remotely and outputting from their computer to the attorneys, then you may have a setting in the outputting that delays it before it goes out to the attorney's computer, allowing the scopist to clean it up. This makes you look really good. Some of the refresh features may act differently depending on which program you're outputting to. It's good to know how they react with your reporting program before you agree to go into a job.
Some programs now are doing even more to help the reporter with their realtime by having the ability to examine how you are trying to write something and then it actually will spit out the correct word, even though technically the software designates it as an untranslate. If your software allows you to make adjustments as to how the translator operates, based on your writing style, go in their and look at what your options are that could possibly allow you to write even better. The programmers do the best they can based on feedback, but not all of the reporters work closely with the programmers and that may mean that your software isn't being all it can be for you. With a few minor tweaks on your end, you might be able to have your untranslates be even less.
This brings me to another important point. By all means get to know the person who programs your software and find the website where you can email them or the company and be able to make suggestions. You may feel that your little suggestion is stupid, but you'd be surprised sometimes what one little suggestion can lead to. Your stupid request or idea may lead the programmer to think of something else totally unrelated or completely related to your idea and they are able to then put your stupid question into the software and make it better not only for you, but other reporters across the country. The programmers are only as good as the input they receive from reporters like us around the country. I can't necessarily program software and that's why it is important to communicate ideas to the programmers that can figure out ways to help you.
Lastly, please do not tell me, "Breck, my dictionary isn't built up for realtime." That isn't going to fly anymore in this day and age. Realtime isn't something that just happened this year. It has been around long enough now that we all should be familiar with it and strive to do it. Don't do it for you; do it for me. I'm not doing it for me. I'm doing it for you. More importantly, I'm doing it for the protection of your job as well as mine and for the profession. I've said it before....."Is it Breck or is it Memorex?" What's your answer going to be?
As an aside, back to, "Breck, you're not a CRR, what do you know?" I'm back in school trying to go ahead and get my RPR as well as any other certificates I can get while I still am reporting. Not for me.....for the profession!!
WRITING REALTIME
I want to throw my two cents in the ring of how to write realtime and what my thoughts are on the subject with the understanding that no, I don't have my CRR or any such certificate other than doing it since around 1992.
What does it take to write realtime? I would say that it takes a lot of courage and confidence. Probably have to be a little "out there" to do this too. You have to basically be willing to bare your soul to all who are watching you write and show them the best you have to offer as well as the worst.
To start off, a person who chooses to write realtime should have a solid foundation in their theory that they learned and then know how to funnel that from what they hear to their fingers, to the writer and then to the computer. Being one who reads current events and follows the news and reads what's going on in their surroundings also helps one to write a better realtime job for the client. This gives you the ability to put things in your dictionary, or at least be familiar with what might come up based on where you live. You never know what a witness will have to say that may be totally unrelated to what they are testifying about. "How about them Lady Vols?" "I can't believe Governor Spitzer." Those are some examples of unexpected words that might come up, but, having followed the current events, one could expect that.
The next thing that I feel is very important is a very good understanding of your software, regardless of which one you have. Understanding how the translation engine works is vital in being able to provide good realtime. You have to know how your software will handle the prefixes as well as the suffixes. We all know the basic suffixes of "-ing, -ed, -er, -s." But, stop and think about words like "-urology, -ification, -ectomy, -oma," etc. I could go on and on about suffixes. When coming across medical terms or other expert terms, think about how you could break that word down based on possible endings of that particular word that may also be used a different way. You could have "magnification" as well as "pontification." The "ification" part is something you may want to consider separating out in your dictionary and defining it to work by itself based upon your program's ability to handle it.
Next, when working with your prefixes, if your software gives you the ability to manipulate your prefixes and suffixes, go in their and look at them and see how the progarm has been set up to handle them. If you can make your own adjustments, understand and know how to do that, without messing up your translator. Most of the programs now are set up to handle prefixes and suffixes very well and the programmers have spent a lot of time programming the software to handle these problems, but there could be something come up and you should know how you can adjust the software or your writing style to solve potential problems that could happen to you.
Next, I can't stress the importance of having a very solid grasp on how you write your alphabet, how you fingerspell, how you stitch your outlines. Being able to fingerspell on the fly could mean the difference between an untranslate flying across the screen or you actually being able to write the word correctly on the fly. If you haven't perfected these areas, you definitely need to focus on them first, in my opinion. Having "ABC Corporation" come up instead of "a be see Corporation" is a definite must. Have the knowledge on how to define these. Know how your software handles them. Do they space correctly around the "ABC" or do they not. When fingerspelling, be comfortable with whether or not the first letter is capped or not capped. When someone spells something, can your software fix the letters after you've written them together and then put the stitching in, or, do you have to stitch them as you go. Acronyms, fingerspelling and stitching are three areas that, once mastered, can save you a lot of times and make you look real good.
Many programs now can help you a lot after something has gone across the screen. There are ways to go back and fix stuff from your steno machine. There are ways to write steno strokes that performing editing commands for you or run macros that can go back and fix an untranslate for you without you having to even touch the QWERTY keyboard. Have a working knowlege of some of the basic "editing commands" that your software and do for you. Being willing to let your software program work for you and not fighting it is vital in being able to provide realtime. You may have to change an outline or the way you write something. Be willing to explore the options and consider the change. Don't bury your head in the sand or be so stubborn that you're not willing to change.
Another important area to writing realtime is having an understanding how your software is going to act with regard to how it outputs the text to the attorney's viewing software. Some programs now can refresh the screens that the attorneys are viewing. Some can't. Some reporting software and be set up to delay the output to the attorney's screen until the reporter wants it to go out. If you have a scopist sitting next to you, or is hooked up remotely and outputting from their computer to the attorneys, then you may have a setting in the outputting that delays it before it goes out to the attorney's computer, allowing the scopist to clean it up. This makes you look really good. Some of the refresh features may act differently depending on which program you're outputting to. It's good to know how they react with your reporting program before you agree to go into a job.
Some programs now are doing even more to help the reporter with their realtime by having the ability to examine how you are trying to write something and then it actually will spit out the correct word, even though technically the software designates it as an untranslate. If your software allows you to make adjustments as to how the translator operates, based on your writing style, go in their and look at what your options are that could possibly allow you to write even better. The programmers do the best they can based on feedback, but not all of the reporters work closely with the programmers and that may mean that your software isn't being all it can be for you. With a few minor tweaks on your end, you might be able to have your untranslates be even less.
This brings me to another important point. By all means get to know the person who programs your software and find the website where you can email them or the company and be able to make suggestions. You may feel that your little suggestion is stupid, but you'd be surprised sometimes what one little suggestion can lead to. Your stupid request or idea may lead the programmer to think of something else totally unrelated or completely related to your idea and they are able to then put your stupid question into the software and make it better not only for you, but other reporters across the country. The programmers are only as good as the input they receive from reporters like us around the country. I can't necessarily program software and that's why it is important to communicate ideas to the programmers that can figure out ways to help you.
Lastly, please do not tell me, "Breck, my dictionary isn't built up for realtime." That isn't going to fly anymore in this day and age. Realtime isn't something that just happened this year. It has been around long enough now that we all should be familiar with it and strive to do it. Don't do it for you; do it for me. I'm not doing it for me. I'm doing it for you. More importantly, I'm doing it for the protection of your job as well as mine and for the profession. I've said it before....."Is it Breck or is it Memorex?" What's your answer going to be?
As an aside, back to, "Breck, you're not a CRR, what do you know?" I'm back in school trying to go ahead and get my RPR as well as any other certificates I can get while I still am reporting. Not for me.....for the profession!!
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