Court reporting

Okay kiddo, imagine you are watching a movie and you really like it because you don't want to miss anything. So, you would like to remember every single word the actors say in the movie. That's exactly what a court reporter does!

A court reporter is a person who writes down every word that is spoken in a courtroom, during a trial or hearing. They use a special machine called a stenograph to write phonetically (which means spelling out words based on how they sound) what people say in the courtroom. They also record gestures, pauses, and other sounds like coughs or sneezes.

Then, using their stenograph or another specialized device, the court reporter creates an official transcript of everything that was said in court. The transcript is a written record of the proceedings that can be used by judges, lawyers, and others to make decisions and take actions based on what happened in the courtroom.

It's really important for the court reporter to be accurate, because even the smallest mistake can change the meaning of a sentence or phrase. That’s why court reporters must attend special training to learn how to use their equipment correctly and how to write down everything accurately.

So, in short, court reporters are like human tape recorders who write down everything that is said in a courtroom in order to produce an official and accurate record of the trial or hearing.