Reston, Va., May 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Court Reporters Association (NCRA), the country’s leading organization representing stenographic court reporters, captioners, and legal videographers, has announced that May 2023 marks the sixth year the Association has designated May as Celebrate Certification Month for its members. The month-long observance is an opportunity for members to celebrate their professional growth and share with judges, attorneys, and clients the benefits of choosing an NCRA certified stenographic or legal videographer professional.
The campaign is also designed to encourage NCRA members and nonmembers to earn a new certification or to add to those they already hold. In addition to showing proficiency in various skills, numerous NCRA membership surveys have found that court reporters, captioners, and legal videographers who hold one or more nationally recognized NCRA recognized certification make more money and are often in higher demand than those who do not hold any.
“Certifications are evidence to our colleagues and the world at large that we are qualified to perform our historic and essential duties. Like many of my colleagues, I’ve enjoyed a robust international practice. But that only happened because I had certifications to show my clients that I was capable of the tasks,” said NCRA President Jason T. Meadors, FAPR, RPR, CRR, CRC, a freelance court reporter and agency owner from Fort Collins, Colo.
“Certifications are not just a source of pride. They are evidence of competence to those who rely on our indispensable talents in the legal field and as captioning clients. Celebrate your certifications! You’ve earned them; be proud. If not, keep striving. The results are eminently worth the effort,” he added.
NCRA offers the following nationally recognized professional certifications:
Registered Skilled Reporter (RSR): The RSR recognizes those stenographic professionals who are looking to validate their beginning level of competency. Created as a stepping-stone credential to ultimately achieving the Registered Professional Reporter (RPR) designation, the RSR certification will offer the prestige of an NCRA certification for those early in their careers. Candidates do not need to be members of NCRA in order to take the RSR Exam. Candidates must pass three five-minute Skills Tests (SKT) that evaluate their skills in literary at 160 words per minute, jury charge at 180 words per minute, and testimony/Q&A at 200 words per minute, with a 95 percent accuracy rate on each leg to pass. Currently nearly 40 members hold the RSR, the newest of NCRA’s certifications.
Registered Professional Reporter (RPR): RPR stenographic court reporters are among the top contributors to the profession in terms of technology, reporting skills, and professional practices. The RPR has been offered since 1937, and many states currently accept or use the certification testing in place of a state certification or licensing exams. RPRs have passed tests requiring them to write up to 225 words per minute with a 95 percent accuracy rate. Currently nearly 5,700 NCRA members hold the RPR certification.
Registered Merit Reporter (RMR): RMRs must hold the RPR and have shown the ability to write at speeds of up to 260 words per minute with a 95 percent accuracy rate. Currently more than 1,500 NCRA members hold the RMR certification.
Registered Diplomate Reporter (RDR): The RDR designates the highest level of certification available to court reporters and distinguishes high-level, seasoned reporters as members of the profession’s elite. Currently just over 500 NCRA members hold the RDR certification.
Certified Realtime Reporter (CRR): The CRR recognizes a realtime reporter’s knowledge of current technologies and a high proficiency of at least a 96 percent accuracy rate at speeds up to 200 words per minute. Realtime reporting instantly translates the spoken word to text, allowing for an immediate transcription of proceedings. Currently more than 2,200 NCRA members hold the CRR certification.
Certified Realtime Captioner (CRC): CRCs have passed a skills test, a written exam, and attended an educational workshop. The CRC tests for competence and provides quality education to those who are interested in entering the captioning field. Currently nearly 800 NCRA members hold the CRC certification.
Certified Legal Video Specialist (CLVS): CLVSs hold a high level of skill and understanding of all aspects of video deposition recording, court proceedings, Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and deposition best practices. Currently nearly 300 NCRA members hold the CLVS certification.
Court reporters and captioners rely on the latest in technology to use stenographic machines to capture the spoken word and translate it into written text in real time. These professionals work both in and out of the courtroom recording legal cases and depositions, providing live captioning of events, and assisting members of the deaf and hard-of-hearing communities with gaining access to information, entertainment, educational opportunities, and more.
If you’re looking for a career that is on the cutting edge of technology, offers the opportunity for work at home or abroad, like to write, enjoy helping others, and are fast with your fingers, then the fields of court reporting and captioning are careers you can explore at NCRA/discoversteno.org.
The NCRA A to Z® Intro to Steno Machine Shorthand program, a free online six-to-eight week introductory course lets participants see if a career in court reporting or captioning would be a good choice for them. The program is an introductory course in stenographic theory and provides participants with the opportunity to learn the basics of writing on a steno machine. There is no charge to take the course, but participants are required to have access to a steno machine or an iPad they can use to download an iStenoPad app.
To arrange an interview with a working court reporter, captioner, legal videographer, or a current court reporting student, or to learn more about the lucrative and flexible court reporting or captioning professions and the many job opportunities currently available, contact pr@ncra.org.
The National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) has been internationally recognized for promoting excellence among those who capture and convert the spoken word to text for more than 100 years. NCRA is committed to supporting its more than 12,000 members in achieving the highest level of professional expertise with educational opportunities and industry-recognized court reporting, educator, and videographer certification programs. NCRA impacts legislative issues and the global marketplace through its actively involved membership.
Forbes has named court reporting as one of the best career options that do not require a traditional four-year degree. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the court reporting field is expected to be one of the fastest areas of projected employment growth across all occupations. According to 247/WallSt.com, the court reporting profession ranks sixth out of 25 careers with the lowest unemployment rate, just 0.7 percent. Career information about the court reporting profession—one of the leading career options that do not require a traditional four-year degree—can be found at NCRA DiscoverSteno.org.
