The Greatest Career You've Never Heard Of
Stenographer, shorthand writer, court reporter, realtime writer, captioner, CART provider.
A stenographer can go by many names, but the ultimate description is a person who uses a phonetics-based keyboard to translate the spoken word into written format at speeds of 225+ wpm with nearly 100 percent accuracy, making this method of speech-to-text far more accurate than any other available. To gain this unusual skill, you must complete NAIT’s two-year program. Most stenographers are independent contractors, working in one of three main areas:
Is it right for you?
Are you a hands-on learner with a great comprehension of English and grammar? Do you enjoy day-to-day topic variety in your job? Would you like a career with incredible flexibility and excellent pay?
Discover Steno
If you answered yes to the above, consider signing up for a FREE six- to eight-week course to learn the basics of machine shorthand. As a stepping stone to your future career or just for fun, you too can dabble in the world of steno through the NCRA A to Z® program. Contact us for details.
Stenographers are high in demand but low in supply. NAIT is the only NCRA-approved court reporting program in Canada. Apply today and join this auspicious profession.
Court Reporting
There are two types of court reporters who are present at legal proceedings in British Columbia.
Official Reporters are empowered to swear in witnesses and are responsible for creating a verbatim written record of everything that is said during pre-trial examinations.
Authorized Reporters are hired by lawyers to provide a written account of what is said during a trial in realtime. This is called "realtime reporting." The judge and lawyers can see this written account on their screens as the trial takes place. Authorized Reporters are also hired to transcribe Supreme Court civil cases after the trial has ended.
CART Captioning
As glasses are to vision, CART captioning is to hearing. CART stands for communication access realtime translation. Speech-to-text realtime (meaning as it happens) translation is useful for anyone attending any event. However, specifically for people with hearing loss (and others with language and/or cognitive challenges), verbatim (meaning word-for-word) CART facilitates full participation.
Broadcast Captioning
Broadcast captioners play a crucial role in live television programs such as news programming and sporting events by providing instant translation of the spoken word into realtime on-screen captions. Their services are particularly important during emergent events and breaking news as they enable the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing community to access essential information.
