Registered Professional Reporter (RPR) Speed, Accuracy, and Realtime Skill Development Syllabus

Why should a reporter track accuracy percentages over time?

To objectively measure progress, spot recurring error types, and know which speed/material to focus practice on next.

What is 'conflict-free writing' in realtime stenography?

A writing theory/dictionary in which each steno outline maps to only one English translation, eliminating ambiguous homophone conflicts.

Why is conflict-free writing essential for clean realtime translation?

Conflicts force the software to guess between meanings (e.g., 'their/there'), so eliminating them produces accurate, readable instant text.

What is an 'untranslate' (untran) in CAT/realtime?

A steno outline the software cannot find in the dictionary, displayed as raw steno (e.g., 'TPHR*EU') instead of an English word.

What is the 'untranslate rate'?

The percentage or count of strokes that fail to translate into English; a key realtime quality metric reporters work to minimize.

Name three strategies to reduce untranslate rate.

Build/maintain a robust dictionary, write consistently (same outline every time), and add briefs/prefixes-suffixes for problem words before they appear.

What is a 'dictionary entry' in CAT software?

A stored pairing of a specific steno outline with its English translation that the software uses to convert strokes to text.

What is good practice for dictionary maintenance for realtime work?

Regularly add new/job-specific terms, resolve conflicts, remove bad/duplicate entries, and define proper names before a job.

What is 'fingerspelling' on the steno machine?

Stroking individual letters (using a fingerspelling alphabet) to spell out a word the reporter has no brief or dictionary entry for.

What is the 'define-on-the-fly' technique?

Adding a new steno-to-English dictionary entry instantly during a job (often via a hotkey) so a repeated unfamiliar term translates correctly thereafter.

Why is define-on-the-fly important during realtime proceedings?

It captures unique names/terms the first time they occur so subsequent occurrences translate cleanly without repeated untranslates.

What is 'crosstalk' in a deposition or courtroom?

Two or more speakers talking simultaneously or interrupting one another, making a verbatim record difficult.

What is the reporter's proper action when crosstalk makes the record impossible?

Interrupt and ask speakers to talk one at a time (only one person at a time) to preserve a complete, accurate record.

How does a reporter handle fast or rapid-fire speech beyond comfortable speed?

Write phonetically/short, stay close behind, brief aggressively, and if necessary ask the speaker to slow down to protect the record.

How should a reporter handle mumbled or inaudible speech?

Ask the speaker to repeat or speak up; never guess on the record, and note inaudibles rather than fabricate text.

What challenge does accented speech pose, and how is it mitigated?

Unfamiliar pronunciation can cause mistranslates; mitigated by exposure to varied accents in practice and by writing phonetically and verifying spellings.

What is a 'read-back' in court reporting?

The reporter reading aloud a previously recorded portion of testimony when requested by the judge, attorney, or jury.

What is the key skill for performing a read-back without losing the record?

Marking/locating the spot quickly and reading accurately while continuing to capture any new statements, never breaking the verbatim record.

What does 'recovery' mean when a reporter falls behind or makes an error mid-proceeding?

Regaining the live record without stopping the proceeding, by catching up, asking for a repeat, or flagging a spot to fix later.

Why is technical and medical/scientific terminology difficult for realtime, and how is it prepared for?

Long, unfamiliar multisyllable terms cause untranslates; prepared for by pre-building dictionary entries, learning prefixes/suffixes, and prefix-based phonetic writing.

What writing approach helps capture long medical terms accurately?

Breaking words into syllabic/phonetic components and using consistent prefix and suffix strokes (e.g., -itis, cardio-) defined in the dictionary.

What is a 'brief' (brief form) in stenography?

A short, abbreviated steno outline (often one stroke) representing a common word or phrase to increase writing speed.

How do briefs and phrases help a reporter reach higher speeds?

They reduce the number of strokes per word/phrase, lowering hand motion and lag so the reporter can keep pace at 200+ wpm.

What is the difference between Literary and Q&A dictation styles on the RPR?

Literary is continuous prose read by one voice (180 wpm); Q&A/Testimony is two-voice question-and-answer with speaker IDs at the fastest pace (225 wpm).

Why is Jury Charge dictation set at 200 wpm between Literary and Testimony?

It reflects a judge's instructions to a jury - continuous but formal/legal language - at a moderate pace between prose and rapid Q&A.

What is a practical daily self-tracking metric besides accuracy percentage?

Recording top sustained speed at 95% on each material type and counting error types (drops, stacks, untrans) to target specific drills.

What role does rhythm/timing play in reducing stacking and improving realtime?

Even, deliberate stroke timing keeps outlines separate and translatable, lowering both stacking errors and untranslate rate.

When two speakers overlap and both must be on the record, what is best practice for realtime accuracy?

Politely interrupt to enforce one-at-a-time speaking, since simultaneous speech cannot be verbatim-captured cleanly in realtime.

What is a 'global' (global define) in CAT software during transcript editing?

A dictionary correction that replaces every instance of a given untranslate/mistranslate throughout the file and adds it to the dictionary for future jobs.

Why is consistency of outlines (writing the same word the same way) critical for realtime?

Inconsistent strokes produce untranslates or conflicts; consistent writing lets every occurrence translate correctly and improves overall accuracy.