CRI Transcription Standards & Accuracy 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following best describes the role of a scopist in the transcription process?
- An attorney who reviews transcripts for legal accuracy
- A specialist who edits and proofreads the court reporter's draft transcript for accuracy and formatting (Correct answer)
- A technician who sets up the audio recording equipment
- A judge's clerk who certifies the final transcript
Correct answer: A specialist who edits and proofreads the court reporter's draft transcript for accuracy and formatting
A scopist works with the reporter's CAT software output to correct conflicts, grammar, and formatting before the reporter does a final review and certifies.
Question 2: In CAT (Computer-Aided Transcription) software, a 'conflict' refers to:
- A disputed portion of testimony between two attorneys
- A steno stroke that has two or more possible translations in the dictionary (Correct answer)
- An audio file that does not sync with the stenographic notes
- A formatting error flagged by the spell checker
Correct answer: A steno stroke that has two or more possible translations in the dictionary
Conflicts occur when a steno outline is mapped to multiple words; the reporter must resolve each conflict to produce an accurate transcript.
Question 3: A reporter's steno dictionary is best described as:
- A printed reference guide to legal terminology
- A digital file mapping steno outlines to their corresponding text translations (Correct answer)
- The index of exhibits from a proceeding
- A log of all proceedings the reporter has certified
Correct answer: A digital file mapping steno outlines to their corresponding text translations
The steno dictionary is the core CAT software file that translates each steno stroke combination into the intended word or phrase.
Question 4: Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation) providers are required to maintain accuracy standards closest to:
- 80%
- 90%
- 95% (Correct answer)
- 99%
Correct answer: 95%
CART providers are expected to meet the same 95%+ accuracy threshold as court reporters, since the output serves as the primary communication access tool for deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals.
Question 5: When a witness answers in a language other than English during a proceeding, the reporter should:
- Transcribe the foreign words phonetically and await the interpreter's translation for the record (Correct answer)
- Omit the foreign-language response and transcribe only the interpreter's translation
- Pause the record until the interpreter provides an English translation
- Ask the witness to repeat the answer in English before transcribing
Correct answer: Transcribe the foreign words phonetically and await the interpreter's translation for the record
The reporter transcribes both the foreign-language response (phonetically if needed) and the interpreter's English translation to create a complete bilingual record.
Question 6: The primary purpose of including line numbers in a legal transcript is to:
- Calculate the reporter's per-page billing rate
- Enable precise citation and reference to specific testimony during trial (Correct answer)
- Meet minimum page-length requirements set by the court
- Allow scopists to track edits during post-production
Correct answer: Enable precise citation and reference to specific testimony during trial
Line numbers allow attorneys, judges, and parties to cite specific testimony with precision, which is essential for motions, appeals, and impeachment.
Question 7: Which of the following actions by a court reporting instructor best reinforces transcription accuracy standards in students?
- Grading only on speed, since accuracy improves automatically with practice
- Providing transcripts with deliberate errors and requiring students to identify and correct each one (Correct answer)
- Allowing students to use spellcheck as the sole accuracy measure
- Requiring students to transcribe only simple, slow-paced audio until graduation
Correct answer: Providing transcripts with deliberate errors and requiring students to identify and correct each one
Error-identification exercises build critical proofreading skills and train students to recognize the types of mistakes that occur in real transcription scenarios.
CRI Transcription Standards & Accuracy 5
Which of the following best describes the role of a scopist in the transcription process?