Our Blog

As a court reporter or stenographer, you know the importance of having the right equipment.  Whether in the courtroom, at a deposition, or reporting from home, finding the ideal setup can be crucial for your long-term, overall physical health.  While steno machines...

Have you ever noticed a stenographer (court reporter) being a little..."bossy"?  Whenever people begin to speak at once in the courtroom or during a deposition, the stenographer is quick to intervene and remind them to speak clearly and slowly.  But why is that? ...

Have you ever wondered how stenographers, also known as court reporters, can write (type) so incredibly fast?  How do they manage to capture every word uttered during a court proceeding or a deposition without missing a beat?  It’s no small feat, and it takes years of...

Have you ever noticed during a work comp deposition that your back hurts because the witness keeps talking about how much their back hurts?! Pain can be quite distracting and uncomfortable, which are just two reasons to schedule some self-care!  Let's take a closer...

Marie Kondo has become wildly popular for her theories and ideas about organizing and tidying up. But what would she have to say about your transcript business? What is it about your job that sparks joy for you?   In the midst of some fall cleaning, we’ve taken...

New to scoping and looking to get more clients? Or perhaps you’re a seasoned scopist just looking to increase profits and make some more money? Here at Stenovate, we are all about helping you be the best scopist you can be! We’ve put together our top 5 tips on how to...

Finding the perfect scopists and proofreaders may feel like a daunting task.  Luckily, Stenovate has the resources to help you find them!   Is My "Perfect Match" Out There?   Most of the time when someone is asked if they use a scopist, they’ll say one of...

Tired of counting sheep?  Here are some of Stenovate’s top tips on how to catch some more Zzzs (and how to make some more money too! 💸💸💸)   Why Are We Talking About Sleep?   Scientists aren’t really sure why we sleep, but they do know that it is critically...

We’re often told that “membership has its privileges” (see: AmEx marketing) but many times we find that we’re hard-pressed to see them. “What have you done for me lately” issues often lead our thinking.    Here’s a primer on what membership in a professional...

Scopists & Proofreaders. This one's for you!    Having trouble getting long-term reporter clients? Get a lot of inquiries but nothing more? Let’s take a closer look at your rate sheet and see if this is what’s scaring potential clients away!   5 Key...

We know that starting a new scoping or proofing relationship can be scary. But with a little preparation, you CAN start to understand and communicate your expectations.   Now, this isn’t the first time we’ve talked about How to Find, Vet, and Hire Scopists and...

Are you nervous about using a scopist or proofreader?  There’s no doubt about it.  You’re definitely not alone.    Relinquishing Control 😱   Our small Stenovate team fully understands that many reporters prefer to do their own work because – let’s face it –...

If you’ve explored a forum that is designated to connect court reporters with scopists and proofreaders, you’ve likely encountered a post that reads something like this: “HELP!  I need a [scopist or proofreader] on [insert CAT software here] for a 300-page transcript...

Let it go!  Let it go!  (We’ve all got the song in our heads now, don’t we?  Sorry!) Is the thought of letting a scopist look at your raw, unedited writing...comfortable?  A little scary?  Or maybe even downright terrifying?  Well, guess what? You were trained for...

Every stenographer, scopist, and proofreader knows about the court reporting shortage…unless you’ve literally been living under a rock without Internet.  And it would be really hard to do our jobs without the lnternet.  You’ve likely heard about the Ducker Report,...

Something pretty magical just happened in Texas last week. Court Reporters finally got someone to listen to their concerns about “low-cost digital alternatives.”  The Backstory Texas is a licensure state, and its reporters are governed by the JBCC which administers...

Shaunise Day, steno advocate and event planner extraordinaire, hosted one of the most remarkable steno-centric events we’ve seen in the last decade.  If you’ve ever attended a multi-day conference, you know there is a LOT to organize. She almost single-handedly,...

When you are browsing Amazon for Christmas gifts or planning a vacation and looking at hotels and restaurants, what’s the first thing you look at?   The reviews, of course!  Ratings and reviews dramatically improve the likelihood that you’ll be satisfied with your new...

What if you could spend more time in the reporter’s chair while your off-the-record “homework” was completed for you?  And what if you could do all this while doubling your profit per hour?  For anyone who currently works with a scopist and proofreader, you know this...

So you’ve built your dream team. You found a scopist and proofreader ready to help you get more done and grow your transcript business.  Now it’s time to switch gears from hiring to managing so that you can build winning partnerships with your transcript teammates. ...

The next time you pull an all-nighter to finish a surprise expedite, you’re going to wish you had a transcript team What’s a transcript team?  It’s you (the court reporter) and your go-to scopist and proofreader.  These teammates are invaluable — and they can help you...

Years ago, as a new court reporter, nothing raised my blood pressure more than a surprise expedite.  I’ll never forget my first BIG, scary job — a heated doctor deposition. Not only was the medical jargon flying faster than 225 words per minute, but the participants...

Court reporters are like unicorns.  Powerful. Magical. Rare. Your skills are in high demand and in short supply. You graduated from a rigorous training program. You’re constantly building your dictionary and improving your skills. You basically keep the entire US...

Clutter can be all-consuming. And not just the physical clutter that takes up space in our homes and offices. Digital and mental clutter can be even more distracting.  We waste countless amounts of time and energy navigating around clutter. The solution? Get organized...

Barbara Corcoran — the famous real estate investor and ‘Shark’ on ABC’s Shark Tank — has learned hard-fought lessons about time management.  “Years ago, I gave my time away to just about anyone,” she said in an interview with Entrepreneur Magazine. “But by making...

Welcome to Lesson 3 of Time Management for Transcript Pros! Who knew a simple calendar trick could change your life? Get More Done with Time Blocking.   “Either you control your calendar, or it controls you.”  In the last two lessons, we learned how to set SMART...

Welcome to Lesson 2: Prioritization for Transcript Professionals! Today, we'll learn how to use a simple tool that keeps us focused on our most important tasks: The Eisenhower Matrix     What do you, Oprah Winfrey, and President Dwight D. Eisenhower have in...

As the demand for court reporting surges, many reporters are being asked to take on more work than ever.  Now is a great chance to grow your legal transcript business, but you may be feeling maxed out with your current workload.  If you’d like to produce more...

We’ve all heard about the court reporting shortage. Youngins aren’t rushing off to court reporting school like they used to. But why? The debate rages on, but at the end of the day, it boils down to a simple fact: People don’t think court reporting is sexy. It’s time...

To say, "We live in interesting times," is a massive understatement. For reasons I am about to share, we must temporarily postpone Stenovate's public beta launch. It breaks my heart to deliver this news. You have been part of the Stenovate journey from the beginning,...

Dear Transcript Community,   Every court reporter, scopist, and proofreader has been there: That moment when deadlines pile up, clients are fussy, and time is vanishing into thin air. As they say: When it rains, it pours. As a freelance court reporter, I've...