CRI Transcription Standards & Accuracy 2

Question 1

When a witness uses a non-standard regional dialect term during testimony, how should a certified reporter handle it?

Accepted Answer

Transcribe the term exactly as spoken with a parenthetical note if needed

Answer

Verbatim accuracy requires transcribing the speaker's exact words, including dialect terms, with notations added only when clarification is necessary.

Question 2

In a certified transcript, overlapping speech between two witnesses should be indicated by:

Accepted Answer

Transcribing both speakers' words sequentially with a crosstalk notation

Answer

Standard practice is to transcribe as much of each overlapping statement as possible and flag the section with a crosstalk notation.

Question 3

Which transcription style requires capturing every filler word, false start, and repetition exactly as spoken?

Accepted Answer

True verbatim

Answer

True verbatim (or strict verbatim) transcription preserves every utterance including 'um,' 'uh,' false starts, and repeated words.

Question 4

A court reporter discovers that a word in the final transcript is different from what was actually said on the audio. The correct action is to:

Accepted Answer

Issue an errata sheet and correct the certified transcript

Answer

An errata sheet is the proper mechanism to formally correct errors in a certified transcript while maintaining an accurate record of the change.

Question 5

When transcribing spoken numbers in legal testimony, the preferred NCRA standard is to:

Accepted Answer

Follow the speaker's intended meaning, defaulting to numerals for quantities and figures

Answer

NCRA guidelines direct reporters to use numerals for factual quantities and figures while spelling out numbers that begin sentences or appear in quotations.

(CRI) Certified Reporter Instructor Practice Test

(CRI) Certified Reporter Instructor Practice Test

CRI Transcription Standards & Accuracy 2