CSR Communication & Stakeholder Relations 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An attorney instructs the reporter to go off the record during a deposition, but opposing counsel objects. What should the reporter do?
- Comply immediately with the requesting attorney's instruction
- Rule on the dispute and proceed as determined
- Advise both parties they must reach agreement before going off the record (Correct answer)
- Suspend the deposition and contact the court for guidance
Correct answer: Advise both parties they must reach agreement before going off the record
The reporter should inform counsel that both parties must agree before the record is suspended, as the reporter cannot unilaterally decide to stop recording.
Question 2: A witness at a deposition repeatedly speaks at the same time as the attorney, making accurate transcription impossible. The most appropriate reporter action is to:
- Silently continue and reconstruct testimony from context later
- Interrupt and ask the speakers to talk one at a time (Correct answer)
- Note '[SIMULTANEOUS SPEECH]' and continue without interruption
- Ask the supervising attorney to control the witness
Correct answer: Interrupt and ask the speakers to talk one at a time
The reporter has a professional obligation to produce an accurate record and may interrupt to request that speakers not talk simultaneously.
Question 3: After a trial, a juror contacts the court reporter directly requesting a copy of the trial transcript. The reporter should:
- Provide the transcript as a public accommodation
- Direct the juror to follow the proper court order process (Correct answer)
- Supply only the portions relevant to the juror's questions
- Refuse all contact and report the inquiry to the judge
Correct answer: Direct the juror to follow the proper court order process
Transcript orders must follow official court procedures; reporters should direct all requests through proper channels rather than directly fulfilling them.
Question 4: During a real-time captioning session, a stakeholder notices a significant error on the display screen and signals the reporter. The best response is to:
- Ignore the signal to avoid disrupting the proceeding
- Pause the proceeding to correct the error on screen
- Make a mental note and issue a corrected transcript afterward
- Acknowledge the signal and strive to correct the output going forward, noting the error for the transcript (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Acknowledge the signal and strive to correct the output going forward, noting the error for the transcript
Real-time feeds are not the official record, so the reporter acknowledges the error, attempts correction, and ensures the final certified transcript reflects accuracy.
Question 5: An attorney asks the reporter to read back only a portion of testimony that is favorable to her client. The reporter should:
- Comply, since the attorney is paying for the deposition
- Read back the exact portion requested without editorial comment (Correct answer)
- Read back the full answer in which that portion appears to preserve context
- Decline any readback to maintain neutrality
Correct answer: Read back the exact portion requested without editorial comment
The reporter reads back exactly what is requested; it is not the reporter's role to add context unless specifically asked for surrounding testimony.
Question 6: A court reporter working as a CART provider for a student with a hearing disability learns that the student's academic records will be discussed in class. The reporter's obligation regarding confidentiality is to:
- Share notes with the student's academic advisor upon request
- Treat all information encountered during the assignment as confidential (Correct answer)
- Report sensitive disclosures to the school administration
- Include all content in a summary report to the disability office
Correct answer: Treat all information encountered during the assignment as confidential
CART providers must maintain strict confidentiality regarding all content encountered in the course of their professional duties.
Question 7: When a deposition transcript contains quoted profanity or slurs used by a witness, the reporter's standard practice is to:
- Replace offensive language with '[EXPLETIVE]' to maintain professionalism
- Transcribe the language verbatim as spoken (Correct answer)
- Omit the language and note that testimony was redacted
- Paraphrase using neutral language that conveys the same meaning
Correct answer: Transcribe the language verbatim as spoken
Court reporters must transcribe testimony verbatim, including any offensive language, because the exact words used may be legally significant.
CSR Communication & Stakeholder Relations 2
An attorney instructs the reporter to go off the record during a deposition, but opposing counsel objects.
What should the reporter do?