CRI Transcription Standards & Accuracy 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under NCRA standards, what is the maximum acceptable error rate for a certified transcript to be considered accurate?
- 0.5% (Correct answer)
- 1.0%
- 2.0%
- 3.5%
Correct answer: 0.5%
NCRA requires a 95% accuracy rate on its skills exams, translating to no more than a 0.5% error rate in certified transcription contexts.
Question 2: When a deponent spells out a proper name for the record, the reporter should:
- Transcribe only the spelled-out letters as spoken
- Transcribe the completed name and add (spelled) or the letter sequence in parentheses (Correct answer)
- Skip the spelling and just write the name
- Flag it as [phonetic] rather than recording the spelling
Correct answer: Transcribe the completed name and add (spelled) or the letter sequence in parentheses
Best practice is to write the full proper name and include the spelling sequence so readers understand the deponent confirmed the spelling on the record.
Question 3: In a legal transcript, an attorney's objection followed immediately by an answer from the witness should be formatted as:
- The objection is omitted to keep the answer clean
- The objection is transcribed first, then the answer, in order of occurrence (Correct answer)
- Both are combined into a single paragraph
- The answer appears first, then the objection in brackets
Correct answer: The objection is transcribed first, then the answer, in order of occurrence
Chronological accuracy requires transcribing all speaker turns in the exact order they occurred, including interruptions and simultaneous speech.
Question 4: Which punctuation mark is preferred in NCRA-style transcripts when a witness trails off mid-sentence?
- An em dash (—)
- A semicolon (;)
- An ellipsis (…) (Correct answer)
- A period followed by [incomplete]
Correct answer: An ellipsis (…)
An ellipsis indicates that spoken words trail off or are incomplete, distinguishing it from an interruption which is marked with an em dash.
Question 5: A reporter must transcribe technical medical terminology they are unfamiliar with. The best approach is to:
- Substitute a lay term that seems equivalent
- Mark the word [phonetic] and verify spelling after the proceeding (Correct answer)
- Leave a blank to be filled in by the attorney
- Spell the word as it sounds without any notation
Correct answer: Mark the word [phonetic] and verify spelling after the proceeding
Using a [phonetic] notation preserves the record and alerts parties to verify the spelling, maintaining accuracy without fabricating terminology.
Question 6: Real-time transcription displayed on a screen during a deposition is legally considered:
- The final certified transcript
- A rough draft for reference purposes only (Correct answer)
- An official exhibit automatically
- A court-admissible record without certification
Correct answer: A rough draft for reference purposes only
Real-time output is an uncertified draft; only the reviewed, signed, and certified transcript carries official legal status.
Question 7: When a certified transcript contains a colloquy between attorneys off the record, the standard notation is:
- (Off the record discussion.) (Correct answer)
- The discussion is transcribed in italics
- [Attorney sidebar omitted]
- A blank page is inserted
Correct answer: (Off the record discussion.)
A parenthetical notation such as '(Off the record discussion.)' marks where the record was suspended without transcribing the private conversation.
CRI Transcription Standards & Accuracy 3
Under NCRA standards, what is the maximum acceptable error rate for a certified transcript to be considered accurate?