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The Scoop About Scoping. Judy Rakocinski & Cathy Watson BeST Scoping Techniques. Burned Out?. Use A Scopist!. What Is A Scopist? . A scopist is a professional who uses computer-aided transcription software to edit transcripts for court reporters.
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The Scoop About Scoping Judy Rakocinski & Cathy Watson BeST Scoping Techniques
Burned Out? Use A Scopist!
What Is A Scopist? A scopist is a professional who uses computer-aided transcription software to edit transcripts for court reporters. The scopist receives the reporter's translated, unedited, unresearched jobon a computer disk or via modem or email. With the aid of a CAT system and the scopist's skills of translating any remaining undefined steno into English, punctuating, researching and formatting, flagging any questionable areas, the transcript is then returned to the reporter ready to be proofread.
Basic skills include but are not limited to: • Notereading (ability to read stenotype) • A very good command of the English language • Technical knowledge, which includes having and knowing how to use the CAT software, knowing how to transfer files via email and modem, and general computer knowledge • Transcript formatting, including knowing what your requirements are. • Ability to research unusual spellings and other information • Familiarity with legal and technical terminology (medical, chemical, investments, science, etc.) • Flexibility and willingness to work to a reporter's specifications.
The scopist will read the job word for word and make any corrections of untranslated steno, add punctuation where necessary, fix formatting and send back as near a final transcript as possible. The reporter, having been at the proceedings, can then do a final proof and make any punctuation changes. A scopist should be trained. When you are considering using a scopist, ask where they learned to scope. There are online courses that teach scoping, such as BeST Scoping Techniques, as well as some courses taught in local colleges. Some scopists are trained by a very patient court reporter. Be cautious of the scopist who has had no formalized training of any kind. They may not be prepared to be an effective work partner. The scopist cleans up the majority of corrections so the reporter (or proofreader) can do a final proof and get the job out.
What A Scopist Is Not It also helps the reporter-scopist relationship when the reporter understands things they should not expect from their scopist. Some scopists may have a different perspective on what their responsibilities include, but there is a generally accepted definition of what scopists do. A scopist will do everything they can to return a job as close to perfect as possible, but they don't - or shouldn't - claim that when they send a job back, that it will be ready to print and sign. It will still need to be proofread.
As good as your scopist may be, it is not wise for her to be the last set of eyes on the job. Your scopist is only human and may miss something. While it might be caught if she read it over again, the fact remains that if she missed it once, she might and most likely will miss it again. Take the extra time to proofread the job when it comes back or send it to a proofreader and your clients will be happier with the end product. If you decide not to use a scopist, do use a proofreader instead of relying on yourself to spot every little mistake.
When you get the scoped job back, there are probably going to be places that have been marked for you by the scopist to review where she might need help to decipher the steno. Don't be afraid of someone else seeing your notes. Scopists don't need perfect notes, just readable notes. They understand everyone can have a bad day, particularly if you were tired or rushed or in an environment where you couldn't hear clearly. Perhaps the scopist couldn't hear the audio. The witness might have mumbled or had an accent, the attorney might have been talking about 400 words per minute, there might have been background noise in the room, or any number of other reasons why the scopist would want the reporter to check the audio again.
Maybe she couldn't find or verify a spelling. As hard as your scopist may try to find a spelling, sometimes it just eludes them. There could be proper names that are not spelled on the record or just technical or unusual terms that they are unable to verify. These will be marked for your attention. Or maybe she simply wants you to check a place in the transcript to be sure she correctly understood what was going on. Remember, they weren't there and they won't have the ability you do of recalling the job. Perhaps it's not clear where (or even if) certain exhibits were marked, or sometimes it's unclear who is speaking. These kind of questions will be flagged for your attention after your scopist has given it their best shot.
We personally always flag anytime we use [sic] in a job, for instance, especially if it's the attorney that hired you, because you may not want their mistake so clearly spelled out in the transcript. You may decide you just want to fix it if it doesn't impact the testimony. Scopists are not mind readers. Give them any detail about the job or about the witness that will help them do a good job for you. If they are scoping a job without audio and the witness was a foreigner and spoke very choppy English, please tell your scopist that so they don't add the little odds and ends that would change the nature of the testimony thinking it just got missed in the writing (missing ending s, missing "the," etc.). It might not change the meaning of the testimony, but it's likely the attorneys will remember if the witness was fluent in English or not, so the transcript should remain accurate.
Your scopist is going to be able to do a better job if they know all your punctuation and format preferences. It's very helpful to get a finished transcript along with the first job so they can begin to get familiar with your preferences. We'll talk about preference sheets in a minute. Scopists are not creative writers. If you drop some testimony, please don't expect your scopist just to make up something to make things make sense. Yes, there are reporters who ask us to do that.
Scopists do not call the witness or the attorneys to ask for spellings. Scopists do, however, go to pretty extreme lengths to find tricky or difficult spellings. A scopist's task is not to retype the whole job. If the job grows by pages and pages due to typing in drops, or if it translates but translates incorrectly, requiring heavy retyping, this really goes beyond scoping and they will probably visit with you about a hazardous-duty rate.
Why Use A Scopist? There are many benefits of using a scopist. If you are a busy court reporter, you are probably putting much of your life on hold in order to get your transcripts edited and turned in on time. By using a scopist, not only will you get your life back, but it will enable you to make more money. Your scopist can be editing the job you took yesterday while you’re taking new jobs today.
DAY ONE: Reporter A (with scopist) Reporter B (without scopist) $ 75 Appearance Fee $ 75 Appearance Fee $600 - 200 pgs. @ $3/pg. $600 - 200 pgs. @ $3/pg. ---------------------------- ---------------------------- $675 $675 <$170> ($.85/pg. to scopist) $ 0 ---------------------------- ---------------------------- $505 $675 DAY TWO: Reporter A (with scopist) Reporter B (without scopist) $ 75 Appearance Fee $ 0 Scoping own work $600 - 200 pgs. @ $3/pg. Off calendar ---------------------------- ---------------------------- $675 $ 0 <$170> ($.85/pg. to scopist) $ 0 ---------------------------- ---------------------------- $505 $ 0 GROSS INCOME: $1,010 $ 675 Cost Benefit Analysis
Basically what the analysis shows is that over the course of two days, two reporters taking the same volume of work at the same page rate, one using a scopist and being able to take jobs both days, the other editing her job from Day 1 the next day, the reporter who uses a scopist makes considerably more money hiring a scopist! And the amounts paid to a scopist (or proofreader) are tax deductible.
A scopist can be your partner on jobs. We’ve all heard the saying "Two heads are better than one." Your scopist will not only be that extra set of eyes that can catch something you might have missed, but she will also be a valuable research partner. As we said, a professional scopist will track down those difficult medical and technical words and find elusive spellings. This will save you tons of time. By turning the editing details over to your scopist, this will leave room for you to concentrate on other things.
And if you’re not doing realtime hookup, you can always use your scopist as a venting partner. I know that many times my reporters will write me notes right in the job to spout off about a particular witness or attorney that’s driving them nuts. It’s a great way for the reporter to let off a little steam and a welcome break from the job for the scopist too!
Another benefit of using a scopist is that your "silent partner" is a tax write-off! At the end of the year, send your scopist a 1099 and take the deduction on your income taxes. (At this time a 1099 is only required if you pay them a certain dollar amount.) Check with your accountant for further details on this.
Another important reason to use a scopist is to take some of the wear and tear off your aching wrists and hands. You can extend your career by not having to do all your own editing.
Finding a Qualified Scopist When you want to work with a scopist, how do you find someone that will do a good job for you? Years ago, finding a scopist was often a difficult task. Today, with the Internet being as user-friendly as it is, finding the scopist to meet your needs is easier than ever.
Finding A Scopist Some places to find a scopist * Internet – Websites and CAT vendors * Word of mouth * NCRA
One of the easiest ways to find a scopist is to go to our web site ReporterSupport.com. This is a FREE service we have created for busy court reporters to find an available scopist fast. Your firm can sign up for a free customized link, or an individual reporter can submit a request for a scopist. With the click of a button, an easy-to-use form can be filled out requesting a scopist to meet your specific needs. This request is then sent out to our large network of scopists immediately and those who are available and qualified will respond directly to you.
Don't wait for an emergency to look for a scopist. Getting accustomed to working together can take several jobs, and it's much better to go through this period of getting to know each other when there's a little more time than a rush job allows. Also, the first few jobs you give to your new scopist shouldn't be a 300-page video. Make sure they can perform to your expectations and start them out with small- to medium-sized jobs. Communication is vital in the scopist-reporter relationship. The reporter and scopist must discuss what is expected from each other at the very beginning of the working relationship. There should be no surprises! You, as the reporter, need to let your scopist know what you need her to do. Don’t be afraid to tell her how you want things done.
All reporters are different and preferences on punctuation and format vary from one reporter to the next. You will want to let your scopist know at the very beginning any special preferences you have. A great way to do this is by filling out a Reporter’s Preference Sheet. A professional scopist will usually send one to her reporter. You should also send a completed job that would demonstrate your page format and punctuation preferences.
You and your scopist need to discuss such things as turnaround time and prices. Do their "days" include weekends? Do they charge extra for working weekends or doing expert testimony? Rates will obviously vary with turnaround time, difficulty of the job, extra services needed, etc. Discuss this BEFORE you send your scopist that first job and that will save problems further down the road.
After a few jobs, your scopist will begin to pick up on your writing style and preferences and each job should reflect that new knowledge. You will both be able to relax a bit and you will begin working as a team…the ultimate relationship!
During your first conversation with your new scopist, let her know some general details about the job you want to send. Explain the nature of the testimony (medical, asbestos, car wreck, etc.) and how long the job is. Let her know if you will be providing tapes or an audiosync file, and if the job was videotaped. Discuss Details
Let your scopist know when you want the job back. Give her a date rather than saying "as soon as you can." This will help the scopist fit your work into her schedule and will help her meet your deadline. Depending on how quickly you need the job returned can impact the rate the scopist will charge. Just as reporters charge attorneys extra for expedited jobs, scopists also have a rate for rush (usually an additional 50%) and for daily (usually double).
Keeping your scopist aware of your tentative schedule is a great way to ensure she will be available when you need her. For instance, say on Monday you know you’re going to take a job on Wednesday. You get a heads-up that this job will go all day and possibly into Thursday, and the attorneys on the case are notorious for wanting expedited copy. If you just assume your scopist will be able to take the job, she might have accepted other work and you might end up staying up around the clock editing the work yourself. Had you let her know on Monday that this job might be coming her way, she could have taken that into account when making her schedule for the week.
In that same vein, if you tell your scopist a job is on the way and it cancels, please be sure to let your scopist know as soon as possible. If you fall into the habit of not keeping your scopist in the loop of your schedule changes, she will be less likely to be available for your upcoming jobs Please get work to your scopist as soon as possible after you've taken it so that she can get started on it right away and avoid a rush situation that isn't getting paid at rush rates.
The scopist-reporter relationship is based on teamwork. When you first begin working with a scopist, it is helpful to give constructive feedback on jobs. If there is something you would like done another way, tell your scopist. She will be happy to change things to meet your specifications if you approach her with something like, Would you do this instead of that: or I like it this way better than that way. Scopists aim to please, so a little feedback will go a long way. There may be cases where the chemistry between a reporter and a particular scopist isn't just right, but if that's the case, just go ahead and look for a different scopist.
Your scopist can also assist you in building your dictionary. Ask your scopist to send you any dictionary entries she was able to make. You obviously will have the final word on whether the entry is added to your main dictionary or not.
A very important factor not to be overlooked is paying invoices. If you want your scopist to always be there for you morning, noon and night, respect her by paying all invoices on time. When you first hire your scopist, discuss the payment arrangements in that first conversation and come to an agreement as to when invoices will be paid. If you don’t get paid until your firm gets paid, please don’t expect your scopist to wait that long. Most scopists will be flexible with payment, but payment shouldn't go beyond 30 days.
If you are an official or doing a series of connected depositions, the attorneys might ask for each day's transcript to be ready for them the next day. Having a scopist assist on this can be a tremendous help! An effective way to get this done would be to email the job to the scopist in sections at each break so that while you are taking the next segment, they can be editing the earlier part. For instance, you start the day at 9:00 and take a break at 10:30. Do a quick translation of the first hour and a half's proceedings and email it to your scopist. Do the same at the lunch break and the afternoon break. This way, both of you can survive a somewhat extended period of this!
Or, with realtime scoping, this would provide an even more instantaneously scoped transcript than the daily method I just described. You could have your scopist actually on-site with you and hooked up to your realtime and she can be scoping the feed as it hits her computer. It would be possible to wrap up a day's transcript within a few hours of it actually ending! Remote realtime scoping is a reality when your scopist actually gains access to your hard drive via the Internet and she can scope the realtime feed. This is not something to try with a scopist you've never worked with before.
It Was A Pleasure… We hope this presentation has been helpful to you and given you the encouragement to try working with a scopist if you haven't already, or some ideas for improving your current working relationship with someone. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Judy Rakocinski & Cathy Watson are full-time scopists and owners of BeST Scoping Techniques scopist training program. They may be reached at http://www.BestScopingTechniques.com For help in finding a scopist, please go to: http://www.ReporterSupport.com No part of this presentation may be copied without written permission. Copyright BeST Scoping Techniques. All rights reserved
