Who are the fastest court reporters in the world?

National Court Reporters Association hosts annual speed contests at Philadelphia Marriott Downtown Aug. 8th & 9th

VIENNA, Va., Aug. 2, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- During the National Court Reporters Association's annual speed and realtime contests, 30 of the nation's top court reporters and broadcast captioners will compete for the title of "Speed Champion." Their flying fingers will burn up the steno keys as they compete to accurately take down every word spoken at speeds of up to 280 words per minute.

Each year, NCRA hosts two contests to see who will be crowned that year's speed champions. During the National Speed Contest, which had its origins more than 100 years ago and will be held on Wednesday, August 8 from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the Philadelphia Downtown Marriott, contestants will take down live dictation at speeds of up to 280 words each minute, which equates to writing 1,400 words in a mere five minutes (that's five words per second!). More amazing still is that this feat is accomplished with an accuracy of up to 99 percent. Contestants then will have time to transcribe their notes into English before turning completed transcripts into an independent panel who will grade them for accuracy.

The National Realtime Competition, which will start Thursday, August 9, at 1 p.m., showcases reporters writing live dictation with instantaneous translation of their notes into English, the same process that produces captions on live television such as broadcast news programming and sporting events. Winners of both contests will be announced on Saturday, August 11^th in Philadelphia.

The contests are tests of both speed and accuracy. As court reporters and captioners, the goal is to get each and every word a person utters down on paper or in digital form. Only those reporters who exceed 95 percent accuracy are considered "qualifiers" for the contest, and, as stated, the top scorers traditionally have an accuracy of 99 percent or higher.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL COURT REPORTERS ASSOCIATION

The National Court Reporters Association is internationally recognized as the premier educational and informational resource for its 19,000 members and the public. The association promotes excellence among those who capture and convert the spoken word to text and is committed to supporting every member in achieving the highest level of professional expertise. NCRA's certification programs provide members opportunities for success and recognition.

The National Court Reporters Annual Convention and Exposition will be held August 9-12, 2012, in the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown.

www.ncra.org

SOURCE National Court Reporters Association