CLT Quality Assurance & Compliance 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When a witness uses non-standard grammar or regional dialect during testimony, the transcriptionist should:
- Correct all grammar to standard English
- Transcribe verbatim to preserve the exact speech pattern (Correct answer)
- Paraphrase in cleaner language for readability
- Omit grammatically incorrect statements
Correct answer: Transcribe verbatim to preserve the exact speech pattern
Verbatim transcription preserves the witness's actual words, which may be legally significant.
Question 2: Which HIPAA compliance requirement applies when transcribing medical-legal depositions involving patient health information?
- PHI can be freely shared among law firm staff
- PHI must be de-identified or handled under a signed Business Associate Agreement (Correct answer)
- HIPAA does not apply to legal proceedings
- Medical terms should be replaced with general descriptions
Correct answer: PHI must be de-identified or handled under a signed Business Associate Agreement
Transcriptionists handling PHI in legal contexts must operate under a BAA to comply with HIPAA.
Question 3: Proper chain of custody for digital audio evidence submitted for transcription requires:
- Saving files to a personal USB drive for portability
- Logging receipt, access, and transfer of all audio files with timestamps (Correct answer)
- Deleting audio after transcription to save storage space
- Sharing raw audio files via email with all team members
Correct answer: Logging receipt, access, and transfer of all audio files with timestamps
A detailed access log with timestamps preserves the integrity of evidence and demonstrates proper chain of custody.
Question 4: What does a certification page on a legal transcript attest to?
- That the transcript is the fastest version possible
- That the transcript is a true and accurate record of the proceeding (Correct answer)
- That the attorney has reviewed and approved the content
- That the transcript was generated using AI software
Correct answer: That the transcript is a true and accurate record of the proceeding
The certification page is the transcriptionist's sworn statement that the transcript is accurate.
Question 5: Metadata embedded in a transcript file can reveal:
- Only the file size
- The author, creation date, revision history, and editing times (Correct answer)
- The audio quality rating
- The billing rate applied
Correct answer: The author, creation date, revision history, and editing times
Document metadata can expose sensitive information about who created and revised the file and when.
Question 6: When an attorney instructs the witness not to answer a question during a deposition, the transcriptionist must:
- Omit the instruction from the transcript
- Record the instruction and any objection verbatim (Correct answer)
- Skip to the next question without noting the interruption
- Paraphrase the instruction as a brief sidebar note
Correct answer: Record the instruction and any objection verbatim
All instructions not to answer and related objections are part of the official record and must be transcribed verbatim.
Question 7: Which scenario represents a conflict of interest that a CLT must disclose or avoid?
- Using a new keyboard for a transcript assignment
- Transcribing a deposition in a case where a family member is a party (Correct answer)
- Working on two transcripts from the same law firm simultaneously
- Using industry-standard software for file delivery
Correct answer: Transcribing a deposition in a case where a family member is a party
A personal relationship to a party in the case creates a conflict of interest that must be disclosed.
CLT Quality Assurance & Compliance 3
When a witness uses non-standard grammar or regional dialect during testimony, the transcriptionist should: