Transcript (law)
Encyclopedia
A transcript is a written record of spoken language
. In court
proceedings, a transcript is usually a record of all decisions of the judge
, and the spoken arguments by the litigants' lawyers. A related term used in the US is docket, not a full transcript. The transcript is expected to be an exact and unedited record of every spoken word, with each speaker indicated. Such a record was originally made by court
stenographers who used a form of shorthand
abbreviation to write as quickly as people spoke. Today most court reporter
s use a specialized machine
with a phonetic key system, typing a key or key combination for every sound a person utters. Many courts worldwide have now begun to use digital recording
systems. The recordings are archived and are sent to court reporter
s or transcriber
s only when a transcript is requested. Many US transcripts are indexed
by Deposition Source
so that they may be searched by legal professionals via the internet
. Transcripts may be available publicly or to a restricted group of persons; a fee may be charged.
Transcription (linguistics)
Transcription in the linguistic sense is the systematic representation of language in written form. The source can either be utterances or preexisting text in another writing system, although some linguists only consider the former as transcription.Transcription should not be confused with...
. In court
Court
A court is a form of tribunal, often a governmental institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance with the rule of law...
proceedings, a transcript is usually a record of all decisions of the judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
, and the spoken arguments by the litigants' lawyers. A related term used in the US is docket, not a full transcript. The transcript is expected to be an exact and unedited record of every spoken word, with each speaker indicated. Such a record was originally made by court
Court
A court is a form of tribunal, often a governmental institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance with the rule of law...
stenographers who used a form of shorthand
Shorthand
Shorthand is an abbreviated symbolic writing method that increases speed or brevity of writing as compared to a normal method of writing a language. The process of writing in shorthand is called stenography, from the Greek stenos and graphē or graphie...
abbreviation to write as quickly as people spoke. Today most court reporter
Court reporter
A court reporter, stenotype reporter, voice writing reporter, or transcriber is a person whose occupation is to transcribe spoken or recorded speech into written form, using machine shorthand or voice writing equipment to produce official transcripts of court hearings, depositions and other...
s use a specialized machine
Stenotype
A stenotype, stenotype machine or shorthand machine is a specialized chorded keyboard or typewriter used by stenographers for shorthand use...
with a phonetic key system, typing a key or key combination for every sound a person utters. Many courts worldwide have now begun to use digital recording
Digital recording
In digital recording, digital audio and digital video is directly recorded to a storage device as a stream of discrete numbers, representing the changes in air pressure for audio and chroma and luminance values for video through time, thus making an abstract template for the original sound or...
systems. The recordings are archived and are sent to court reporter
Court reporter
A court reporter, stenotype reporter, voice writing reporter, or transcriber is a person whose occupation is to transcribe spoken or recorded speech into written form, using machine shorthand or voice writing equipment to produce official transcripts of court hearings, depositions and other...
s or transcriber
Transcriber
Transcriber is a tool for the transcription and annotation of speech signals for linguistic research. It supports multiple hierarchical layers of segmentation, named entity annotation, speaker lists, topic lists, and overlapping speakers. Two views of the sound pressure waveform at different...
s only when a transcript is requested. Many US transcripts are indexed
Index (publishing)
An index is a list of words or phrases and associated pointers to where useful material relating to that heading can be found in a document...
by Deposition Source
Deposition Source
Deposition Source is an Internet-based repository of legal depositions for attorneys and legal professionals in the United States. It is a privately held corporation. Lawyers search the Deposition Source database for expert witness testimony by professionals, such as doctors, to find nuances or...
so that they may be searched by legal professionals via the internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
. Transcripts may be available publicly or to a restricted group of persons; a fee may be charged.