Accuracy is one of the most important parts of a court reporter’s work. But even the most careful court reporter can miss things. Which is why court reporters can benefit from having a second set of eyes to review a completed transcript. That’s where a legal transcript proofreader can help.
A legal transcript proofreader reviews court transcripts for spelling, grammar, punctuation, formatting, consistency, and other errors before the transcript is delivered to the client. But what exactly does a legal proofreader do? And how is it different from general proofreading?
In This Post You’ll Learn:
- what a legal transcript proofreader is and does
- the difference between a general proofreader and a proofreader for court reporters
- the difference between a proofreader and a scopist
- the benefits of proofreading for court reporters
- how to hire a legal transcript proofreader that’s right for you
What is transcript proofreading?
Just like with general proofreading, transcript proofreading is the last step before a court reporter sends their transcript to their client. Unlike general proofreading, legal proofreaders are proofreading the spoken word. So perfect grammar is pretty much impossible.
What is a legal transcript proofreader?
A legal transcript proofreader is a trained professional who checks a legal transcript for accuracy. They take the spoken word and make it as consistent and readable as possible. They look for any errors after the transcript has been completed. They do not use any audio and usually only work with PDFs.
A legal transcript proofreader’s job is to make sure the transcript is readable, accurate, and consistent. Perfect grammar is impossible with the spoken word, however, a proofreader’s goal is to use grammar to make it readable.
Transcript proofreaders look for things like:
- dropped words
- switched words
- incorrect words
- inaccurate phrases
- typos
- punctuation errors
- formatting
- inconsistencies, such as names
They also follow the court reporter’s preferences and check references such as Margie Wakeman Wells’ Bad Grammar/Good Punctuation, Morson’s English Guide for Court Reporters, and Wick’s Punctuation Rules for Court Reporters.
Legal transcript proofreaders also pay careful attention to medical terminology, names, places, case details, and speaker names. They take the time to research business names and addresses to make sure they are spelled correctly as well.
What’s the difference between a general proofreader and a legal proofreader?
Both general proofreaders and legal proofreaders have the same goal—to review written content for errors.
However, a general proofreader typically works on manuscripts, blogs, articles, websites, marketing materials, and other types of material. A legal proofreader works on legal transcripts. They understand legal language and the specific needs of legal transcripts. Legal proofreaders have to be comfortable with legal terms, names, citations, and transcript formatting.
What’s the difference between a scopist and a proofreader?
In the court reporting world, a busy court reporter may hire a scopist and a proofreader to work on their transcripts. This way, they can take on more work and make more money.
A scopist typically reviews the transcripts against the audio and helps correct any errors. They are kind of like an editor. A proofreader reviews the finished transcript for errors and consistency. They look for anything that may have been overlooked by the scopist.
Benefits of proofreading for court reporters
Court reporting can be a stressful job. At the end of a long day, a court reporter’s eyes are tired. And when they have to read and reread their transcripts, they are too close to their work and may miss even the tiniest of errors. (Such as dropping a small word like “to”.)
Having someone different look at their transcript for the first time provides an extra layer of quality control. A fresh pair of eyes can help catch spelling, punctuation, grammar, and formatting errors. Also, a legal transcript proofreader can help make sure names stay consistent, and Mr. So-In-So doesn’t turn into Ms. So-In-So.
Other benefits to having a legal transcript proofreader include:
- Frees up the court reporter’s time to take on more jobs or spend time with family
- Helps the court reporter feel more confident about their finished transcript
- Allows the court reporter to focus on other parts of their business and workload
- Can be helpful when working with large or time-sensitive transcripts
- Gives court reporters another set of trained eyes before the transcript goes to the client
How to hire a legal transcript proofreader
Now that we’ve covered what a legal transcript proofreader is, how do you know which one to hire that’s the best fit for you?
You should make sure the proofreader is:
- naturally good at picking out obvious errors in spelling and grammar
- extremely attentive to details, such as names and titles
- a killer researcher
- dependable and able to meet tight deadlines
- organized
- professional
- friendly and thoughtful
- excellent communicator
Here are some questions to ask a proofreader during the hiring process:
- Do you understand legal transcripts and the court reporting process?
- What is your experience with proofreading?
- Have you worked with similar transcripts?
- How does your proofreading process work?
- What types of document files do you proofread in?
- What are your turnaround times, and are you available for rush jobs?
- What are your rates?
- How do you handle confidential or sensitive transcripts?
Consider requesting a proofreading sample or even a trial assignment before hiring them as part of your team. Look for someone who can communicate clearly and is willing to follow your preferences.
Before hiring someone, explain that the right proofreader should fit your workflow, deadlines, and quality standards.
Final Thoughts
A legal transcript proofreader can be quite valuable to a court reporter. Having a proofreader allows the reporter to take on more work or take a much-needed break. After reading over a transcript so many times, a court reporter is too close to their work, so they might miss little things.
Proofreaders provide an extra layer of quality control by checking a transcript for errors, consistency, and formatting issues. Whether you’re looking for help with a lengthy transcript, a tight deadline, or simply want another set of trained eyes on your work, the right proofreader can help.
FAQs
They take the spoken word and make it as consistent and readable as possible. They look for any errors after the transcript has been completed.
Transcript proofreaders look for things like dropped words, switched words, incorrect words, inaccurate phrases, typos, punctuation errors, formatting, and inconsistencies.
A legal transcript provides a written record of what was said during a legal proceeding. Accuracy helps ensure that important statements, names, dates, numbers, and legal terms are recorded correctly.
Legal transcripts can have spelling, punctuation, grammar, formatting, and speaker identification errors. Names, numbers, legal terms, and other details might be accidentally recorded incorrectly.
A legal transcript proofreader provides an extra set of trained eyes to review the completed transcript. They can catch errors and inconsistencies that may have been missed when the transcript was being prepared.
A proofreader looks for spelling, punctuation, grammar, formatting, and consistency errors. They also double-check names, legal terminology, numbers, dates, and speaker identification.
A court reporter can hire a proofreader when they have completed the transcript, but before delivering it to their client. Proofreading can be helpful when a transcript is really long, complex, or needed on a tight deadline.