Court Reporter how-to

How to Caption a Live Event

Live captions must be fast and clear.

Updated By the Career Education Institute Curriculum Team
Quick answer

Live captions must be fast and clear. In short: prepare; test; write, then complete the remaining steps below.

Step by step

  1. Prepare a job dictionary.

  2. Test the connection.

  3. Write in realtime.

  4. Correct errors quickly.

  5. Stay focused.

  6. Save logs after the event.

Safety reminders for court reporters

  • Use ergonomic setups to prevent strain
  • Protect confidential records
  • Take breaks during long proceedings
  • Back up files

Stenotype · Realtime · CAT software · Deposition · Transcript · Read-back: see the full court reporter glossary.

More court reporter how-to guides

Learn this in Court Reporter trainingTake the practice test
Enroll in trainingTake fit quiz