04/16/2019
What is a Scopist?
The scopist is, perhaps, the unspoken hero of the finalized, official transcript. Scopists, who often work as a team with court reporters and may even be hired by court reporters, are responsible for transforming undefined stenotype into English, ensuring that it is properly punctuated, researched and formatted.
When a court reporter completes the process of recording a spoken proceeding using a stenotype machine or a stenomask, the rough notes are handed over to a professional scopist who, through the use of specialized software, translates the transcript from stenotype to written English, ensuring that formatting, punctuation, and grammar are considered. In addition, it is often up to the scopist to ensure that all names and terms are spelled properly, which often requires a bit of research. Any questionable areas are flagged, and the transcript is given back to the court reporter, who then proofreads the transcript for final approval.
It should be noted that even digital court reporters use the expertise of scopists to proofread and correct errors in a rough transcript.
The Job Scope of the Scopist
A scopist’s job scope is to assist the court reporter in the transcription process. Not all court reporters use scopists, but those with heavy workloads find that their productivity greatly increases and they are able to turn around work much more quickly when they utilize a professional scopist.
Upon receiving the shorthand notes from the court reporter, the scopist translates them into English, thereby producing a final transcript. But the scopist’s job extends beyond the translation of the notes, as it is up to the scopist to ensure that everything translates well and makes sense. Therefore, this stenographic professional ensures that all technical words and names are spelled properly.
The process of turning around the rough shorthand notes into a clean transcript may take a considerable amount of time; time that the court reporter may use to complete other stenography jobs. Instead, the verbatim recording is handed over to the scopist, who takes the time to ensure that the translated transcript is completed quickly and returned as a finished product to the client.
It is common for scopists to work exclusively for one court reporter, as these professionals become accustomed to a court reporter’s unique strategy for taking shorthand notes. A dedicated scopist who can interpret the notes of the court reporter is invaluable for the busy court reporter.
Most scopists work as independent contractors (freelance scopists) and are therefore paid by page by the court reporter. Scopists who work exclusively for one court reporter may even be paid an annual salary by the court reporter.