Realtime Facts You Should Know

Overview:

Realtime technology allows court reporters to instantly convert their stenographic notes into English text. The text is then displayed on computer monitors or large projection screens placed around the courtroom. The steno machines used today by court reporters are fully computerized and use realtime software to translate the stenographic symbols and allow reporters to keep courtroom records in a digital format.

How Realtime Works In A Computerized Courtroom (CIC):

During the trial, the judge and attorneys can review and mark portions of testimony and make notes within the transcript on their computer screens without interrupting the proceedings. They can perform searches for specific words, phrases, roots of words, and other more complicated information in one or more documents simultaneously. Searches through a file can be made forward or backward, or the search can be set to tag or highlight certain words as the trial proceeds. This technology is currently being used in the Exxon Valdez state trial in Alaska and the first California breast implant case (Korn vs. Dow Corning) in Los Angeles.

Through realtime technology, court reporters can print rough transcripts of testimony or copy them in ASCII format onto floppy disks for attorneys and judges during breaks in the trial. Final copy can be delivered in either printed text or on disk at the end of the day.

In-court computerization opens a world of research capabilities. Attorneys and judges can call up depositions to compare with current testimony. CD-ROM technology enables attorneys to bring volumes of legal research into the courtroom on a thin disk. Using a modem, attorneys can send the trial proceedings off-site, access online legal research programs or communicate with co-counsel and consult expert witnesses off site.

Court reporter technology can be used to provide compressed transcripts for the trial. These condensed formats can capture up to 15 standard transcript pages on both sides of a single sheet of paper, with three columns of easily readable type. In addition, the technology can produce a printed concordance of keywords in the transcript listed by page and line number.

Some realtime-based programs allow attorneys to organize marked testimony. This feature enables them to get more accurate notes than a pad and pencil would allow. In addition, with a cut and paste feature, individual notes taken from the court reporter's transcript can be put together on screen or in a printed report.

Realtime technology can be used to synchronize video with computerized court reporting. Stenographic text of the proceedings taken down by the court reporter is translated by realtime and integrated with a simultaneously created videotape so that the text of the testimony appears on the screen with the video record of courtroom events. An internal clock in the video camera or VCR is synchronized with the court reporter's computer to ensure that the video and text records of trial proceedings match. This allows a specific portion of the video record to be found by searching the text record, which is a much more efficient and thorough method than a video-only search.

Realtime provides the capability for the text of transcripts to be faxed or electronically transmitted anywhere in the world on a daily basis to law firms or attorneys involved in a case.

Other Features of Realtime Translation:

A quick realtime set-up can be installed in any courtroom, deposition room or other location if the equipment is available and the court reporter has a realtime system.

Realtime is the base system for more than 30 computerized courtrooms throughout the country. The technology can also be expanded to include systems that convert spoken testimony into printed text or captioned video for hard-of-hearing persons, and into Braille or enhanced sound for persons who are blind or have vision loss, which helps the courts meet Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.

Realtime Technology Can Be Found In Computerized Courtrooms In:

Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
California
Colorado
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Illinois
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
New Hampshire
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Texas
Utah
Washington

Realtime Also Provides Access In Any Setting:

Realtime technology has proven helpful for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals both in and out of court. Most of the more than 20 million deaf and hard-of-hearing people in the United States developed hearing loss after acquiring language skills. Many of them find it easier to read realtime text than to use American Sign Language interpretation. Court reporters use the same technology that produces realtime in court settings to produce live captions of television programs. In addition, realtime is used in many other applications to provide access for hard-of-hearing people in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act or for other purposes. For example:

• Through realtime reporting, a hard-of-hearing pro se litigant in New Jersey was able to follow and deliver his own oral argument in the State Appellate Court. The technology also allowed him to respond to questions by the panel of judges.
• Realtime has allowed a hard-of-hearing appellate judge in Wisconsin to use the telephone, listen to proceedings and communicate with court personnel. In addition, he utilizes a realtime court reporter whenever he attends conferences or gives speeches.
• At least two court cases, one in Michigan and one in Texas, were appealed and retried because the deaf litigant didn't fully understand what went on in the first trial. Realtime played an integral part in the retrials, allowing those deaf litigants to understand and take an active part in their second trials.
• Recently in Maryland, realtime translation was used for the first time in lieu of a sign language interpreter when a deaf juror wanted to see the words that were said without interpretation. She also felt realtime allowed her to better "blend in" with the rest of the jury.
• In Texas, realtime translation was used to caption jury selection proceedings for a deaf potential juror who wished to participate in a trial. The juror, who was not able to read sign language, was then picked for a jury for State Criminal District Court and followed the trial by reading the testimony on a computer screen placed in front of her.
• Court reporters frequently provide realtime services for monthly chapter meetings and annual conventions for the Association of Late-Deafened Adults (ALDA) and Self Help for Hard of Hearing People, Inc. (SHHH), as well as other organizations for deaf and hard-of-hearing persons.
• In California, realtime provided by a court reporter allowed the brother of the groom and a few guests, all of whom are deaf, to follow the ceremony. The wedding took place on a cliff and the reporter used a laptop computer with battery power (with a generator for back-up if needed) to realtime the event.
• A hard-of-hearing person in Florida was able to participate in family gatherings concerning personal and business matters through a court reporter's realtime technology. The same hard-of-hearing person has also been able to communicate more clearly with attorneys during client conferences and meetings.
• In Washington a hard-of-hearing man was able to take an active part in his job interview with a Japanese personnel manager, who otherwise would have had trouble understanding the hard-of-hearing person's speech. Both parties were able to "read" what the other was saying.
• Realtime technology has been used in a marriage counseling office for a cochlear implant patient and spouse. Cochlear implant patients have also used court reporter's realtime technology with their doctors, going through diagnosis, pre-op, post-op and having physicals before surgery.
• Church services in Massachusetts, Texas and Michigan have been realtimed for hard-of-hearing persons who attend. The technology has also enabled deaf and hard-of-hearing students to fully understand lectures and participate in class discussion in elementary, high school and college classes throughout the country.