Local court reporter earns national certification

Mykel Miller recognized as Registered Professional Reporter

Posted

St. Augustine resident Mykel Miller decided stenography was a “good fit” when she accompanied a family friend to work one day. From there, Miller enrolled in Sheridan Technical College’s online program and finished in about three years, successfully passing the required jury charge, Q&A and literary speed and accuracy tests. Her next goal was to earn Registered Professional Reporter certification from National Court Reporters Association, an organization representing stenographic court reporters, captioners and legal videographers.

Court reporters and captioners rely on the latest in technology to use stenographic machines to capture the spoken word and translate it into written text in real time. These professionals work both in and out of the courtroom recording legal cases and depositions, providing live captioning of events and assisting members of the deaf and hard-of-hearing communities with gaining access to information, entertainment and educational opportunities.

Earning RPR credentials is quite an accomplishment given the amount of preparation and knowledge candidates must possess to pass. Those who hold RPR credentials are not only among the top stenographic court reporters in the profession, but they also embark on a path of lifetime learning with continuing education requirements. RPR certification distinguishes stenographic court reporters as being among the top contributors to the profession in terms of reporting skills, transcript production, professionalism and reporting and operating practices.

Even in this digital age, court reporters are a valuable part of the legal system. While video and voice recording can be used to create a transcript after proceedings end, court reporters create real-time court transcription that can be stopped and read back for clarification during legal proceedings.

“There can be a lot of in-audibles in digital recording and transcription,” Miller said. “A stenographer can stop the proceeding and say, ‘you need to speak up,’ if the speaker is not clear.”

Miller also pointed out the digital recordings do not identify who is speaking. “Stenographers type verbatim what is being said by whom,” she said. “We’ve been advancing with technology, so our machines are better than ever.”

Text-to-speech software can transcribe digital recordings, but these programs are not always reliable. Names are often misheard or spelled incorrectly, and programs often have difficulty with accents, intonation and interpreting speech that is mumbled or quiet.

“I heard in school about court reporters being replaced [by technology],” Miller said. “It’s never happened because we play such an important role in the whole legal system.” She’s been told by several attorneys that court reporters are irreplaceable.

Miller is a member of NCRA and works as a stenographic court reporter for the Southern Reporting Co. in Florida’s Seventh Judicial Circuit including St. Johns, Flagler, Putnam and Volusia counties. The circuit requires certification.

“I think it’s great to keep the standard high,” Miller said. “What I love about this career is I’m always working on my craft. Working on this certification really helped me grow in my career to be a better court reporter.”

To be recognized as an RPR, candidates must pass a written knowledge test on industry best practices and a skills test that combines a challenging threshold of both speed and accuracy. RPR-certified court reporters are in high demand among the nation’s premier law firms, courthouses and other scenarios in which a reliable, accurate transcript of proceedings is required.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of court reporters is projected to grow 7% from 2018 to 2028, faster than the average for all occupations. Those with experience and training in techniques for helping deaf or hard-of-hearing people, such as real-time captioning and communication access real-time translation, will have the best job prospects. The Tampa-Clearwater and Miami-Dade areas have the highest projected demand in Florida.

For more information about becoming a stenographer, visit www.ncra.org.

 

Mykel Miller

Photo provided