CBC Realtime Writing & Stenography Fundamentals 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the standard minimum words-per-minute (WPM) speed required for broadcast captioners using stenography?
- 100 WPM
- 180 WPM
- 225 WPM (Correct answer)
- 300 WPM
Correct answer: 225 WPM
The NCRA and CBC certification standards require a minimum realtime writing speed of 225 WPM to keep pace with broadcast speech rates.
Question 2: In stenography, what does 'steno theory' refer to?
- The history of stenographic machines
- The system of rules governing how words are written on a steno machine (Correct answer)
- The mathematical calculations behind steno software
- The legal framework for stenographic reporting
Correct answer: The system of rules governing how words are written on a steno machine
Steno theory is the systematic set of rules that dictates how phonetic sounds and words are encoded as keystrokes on a stenographic machine.
Question 3: What is a 'brief' in stenographic writing?
- A short legal document
- An abbreviated stroke or series of strokes representing a commonly used word or phrase (Correct answer)
- A summary of a broadcast transcript
- A quick speed test administered to new captioners
Correct answer: An abbreviated stroke or series of strokes representing a commonly used word or phrase
Briefs are custom abbreviated steno outlines that allow captioners to write frequently used words or phrases faster than spelling them out phonetically.
Question 4: Which steno keyboard layout is most commonly used in the United States for broadcast captioning?
- QWERTY
- Dvorak
- English stenotype (consonant-vowel-consonant bank layout) (Correct answer)
- Pitman shorthand
Correct answer: English stenotype (consonant-vowel-consonant bank layout)
The English stenotype keyboard, featuring left consonant keys, center vowel keys, and right consonant keys, is the standard machine layout for US broadcast captioning.
Question 5: What is 'realtime translation' in the context of broadcast captioning?
- Translating captions into multiple languages simultaneously
- The immediate software-based conversion of steno strokes into readable text (Correct answer)
- The process of reviewing captions after a broadcast has aired
- A method of converting ASL interpretation into printed text
Correct answer: The immediate software-based conversion of steno strokes into readable text
Realtime translation is the instant conversion of stenographic keystrokes into human-readable text by CAT software as the captioner writes.
Question 6: What is a 'conflict' in steno writing?
- A professional disagreement between two captioners on a broadcast
- When the same steno stroke can produce two or more different words (Correct answer)
- A critical error logged by captioning software
- When captions arrive out of sync with the audio signal
Correct answer: When the same steno stroke can produce two or more different words
A conflict occurs when a single steno outline translates to more than one word, requiring context-specific briefs to ensure the correct word appears.
Question 7: In broadcast captioning, what does 'latency' refer to?
- The fatigue captioners experience during long broadcast shifts
- The delay between when words are spoken and when captions appear on screen (Correct answer)
- A technical failure in the captioning encoder
- The time required to proofread a post-broadcast transcript
Correct answer: The delay between when words are spoken and when captions appear on screen
Latency is the time delay between a speaker's words and the display of corresponding captions on screen, which broadcast captioners work to minimize.
CBC Realtime Writing & Stenography Fundamentals 1
What is the standard minimum words-per-minute (WPM) speed required for broadcast captioners using stenography?