How much does a court reporter make?

In the US, pay can vary with experience, state licenses, and extra real-time captioning skills or certificates. The employer, location, and hours matter too; freelance reporters often have more flexible schedules.

Use verbatim methods and equipment to capture, store, retrieve, and transcribe pretrial and trial proceedings or other information. Includes stenocaptioners who operate computerized stenographic captioning equipment to provide captions of live or prerecorded broadcasts for hearing-impaired viewers.

What's a typical day like?

A court reporter records every word at a hearing or deposition, then checks and formats the transcript. A captioner listens to live TV or an event and puts the words on screen as people speak.

In the US, people usually complete a 2–3 year court-reporting program, practicing stenotype and legal terms. Many states require a license or professional certificate, followed by short on-the-job training; rules vary by state.

Vocational school or a few years' experience (preparation level 3 of 5)

Good for people who like keeping things organized and creating.

A steno machine has just 22 keys, yet trained reporters use sound-based key combinations to capture more than 200 spoken words a minute.