Q. Can a reporter edit from the steno keyboard while a scopist is editing remotely?
A. No.
Q. Do I have to be on the Internet to take advantage of this?
A. No, because you can accomplish this through a direct modem-to-modem connection, using the remote control software.
Q. Do attorneys get the edited or nonedited version of the transcript if they are using viewing software?
A. It depends on the reporter s CAT system. See your individual CAT representative for details about available options.
When we were first working on the remote scoping and it was all so new to us, there were many things that we jotted down that we felt were very important for the reporter and scopist to take note of. We hope they are helpful to you also.
Additional Tips:
1. If the scopist catches up with the reporter while editing and they take a break, the scopist can log off and reconnect later where the break occurred.
2. Depending on your reporter s CAT software, either the scopist or the reporter can initiate printing while you are editing.
3. Both the reporter and the scopist must turn off their call waiting feature on the phones.
4. It is advisable that both of you use the same remote control software and the same version as well.
5. Test drive using remote scoping with your reporter way in advance of when the trial or deposition is scheduled in case there are any problems that need to be resolved.
6. It is imperative that the scopist be familiar with the reporter's CAT system.
7. Make sure that the sound on the reporter's modem is turned off.
We hope that this article has been of benefit to you as you endeavor to explore and try out this new technology, and that you can use it as part of your options to serve your clients in your reporting and scoping business. The reporting field never ceases to amaze us in how far it's come and how far it can go with all the new technological advances.
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Shirley Barrett has been a scopist for 30 years and works with four different CAT systems with reporters all over the United States. She is a scopist representative of the North Carolina Shorthand Reporters Association, past chairperson of the Technology, Growth and Development Committee for SCOPE, chairperson of the Scopist Ethics Committee, and past committee member of the Scopist Task Force.
E-mail: professionalscoping@alltel.net
Jim Woitalla, RDR, is a realtime reporter and has been reporting for 20 years and is a partner in the freelance firm of Herbert Peterson & Associates, Inc. He currently serves as a Director of NCRA, and is a past president of the Minnesota Association of Verbatim Reporters and Captioners, past president of the TomCAT Users Group, and holds the Minnesota Award of Excellence.
