| Joyful Scoping |
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| New Scopists Archives |
| April 8, 2011 Do you know what to do in a transcript when a speaker stumbles or stammers on a word? Although the LMEG does not cover this, Margie Wakeman Wells' Court Reporting: Bad Grammar/Good Punctuation does cover this in Chapter 11: THE DASH, under DASH.2: "Use a dash when the sentence structure is broken, that is, when a sentence is begun and is not completed." "Was it -- so you think it was -- are you saying it was Friday?" "This is what -- this is what we are going to do." "I -- I -- I was on -- was on the -- on the way to work." *********************************************************************************************** *************** Another rule that few are aware of is DASH 6: "When the sentence begins with a word or words that represent the topic of the conversation and is then broken off, use a dash." "Q. Your husband -- was he involved?" "Q. Exhibit 5 -- is this your signature at the bottom of this page?" "Q. The drugs he was taking -- were they all by prescription?" However, The Proofreading Manual, A Guide for Court Reporters, Scopists and Proofreaders by Peggy Armstrong says that "Dashes are used to show an abrupt break in thought or to set off an explanatory statement in the middle of the thought." "Because dashes show an interruption in speaking, it is also an interruption for the reader. Use dashes only when necessary. Perhaps what you see as an interruption or side remark could be considered an appositive." |
| April 8, 2011 What is the Difference between a Scopist and a Proofreader? Job of a scopist: A scopist will read the text and listen to the audio file as directed by the court reporter, making editing changes to accurately reflect the words spoken on the audio file or based upon the court reporter's stenographic notes or voice recording. The scopist's goal is to edit through the transcript, cleaning up the "meat" of the errors left behind by the court reporter. It is not the scopist's job to provide a perfectly clean transcript when the transcript is returned to the court reporter. That is a proofreader's job. Job of a proofreader: A proofread simply reads through the transcript looking for the tiny errors from word usage, contextual reading and punctuation errors. A proofreader does not work with audio files. That is a scopist's job. Rarely do scopists do the job of proofreading because most court reporters recognize the importance of having two sets of eyes reviewing the document for the cleanest transcript possible. |
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Do you really need a website when you begin your scoping business?
As a beginning scopist, having a website is really not necessary. You can easily market your skills and
experience using a concise but well-written marketing letter to reach court reporters. Because people are
using different versions of Microsoft Word, I would encourage you to save the letter in Rich Text Format
or .rtf. That formatting allows the letter to be read by all computers with Microsoft Word on them,
regardless of the version.
Many new scopists are unaware of a significant problem when they choose to publish a website as a
means of marketing their new business. Even though I began scoping, I was not aware of the physical
impossibility of proofreading your own work. If you choose to have a website, be sure to have someone
else read through your website for any kind of errors before you share the link with anyone. For the SMA
students and graduates, that is a service I provide for them because that is a reflection of their business and
their training experience. I always want the scopist to be able to put their best foot forward.
As a beginning scopist, having a website is really not necessary. You can easily market your skills and
experience using a concise but well-written marketing letter to reach court reporters. Because people are
using different versions of Microsoft Word, I would encourage you to save the letter in Rich Text Format
or .rtf. That formatting allows the letter to be read by all computers with Microsoft Word on them,
regardless of the version.
Many new scopists are unaware of a significant problem when they choose to publish a website as a
means of marketing their new business. Even though I began scoping, I was not aware of the physical
impossibility of proofreading your own work. If you choose to have a website, be sure to have someone
else read through your website for any kind of errors before you share the link with anyone. For the SMA
students and graduates, that is a service I provide for them because that is a reflection of their business and
their training experience. I always want the scopist to be able to put their best foot forward.
| Some interesting brain exercises to sharpen your scoping skills: Practicing these kinds of exercises will enhance your scoping skills because they train your eyes to look for the details and catch the discrepancies. http://www.planetperplex.com/en/item/the-stroop-effect/ http://www.planetperplex.com/en/item/a-bird/ http://www.123opticalillusions.com/ |
| Understanding the basics of formatting numbers There are a couple of rules of thumb in formatting numbers as a scopist. Generally, numbers relating to dates, measurements, age, money and percentages, should always be formatted numerically. Aside from that, there are two aspects to consider: 1. When the number is at the beginning of a sentence, it is always spelled out except for the above-listed exceptions. 2. Court reporters want consistency. But consistency can go a couple of ways, as is demonstrated in the Joyful Scoping Preference Form. A. Some court reporters follow the rules consistently regarding numbers above and below 10. For example: three fish, eight snakes and 12 turtles Whereas, some court reporters want the numbers in the same sentence or paragraph to be formatted in the same manner for consistency. For example: three fish, eight snakes and twelve turtles OR 3 fish, 8 snakes and 12 turtles. Above all, court reporters desire consistency in how you format things. Once you have a situation formatted in the transcript, make sure you format all of the same situations throughout the transcript in the same manner. |
Adverbial Clauses
Are you familiar with adverbial clauses? And if you are familiar with them, do you know
when to use a comma with them and when you should not?
I ask this because this is one of the most common mistakes that the SIP teaches scopists
about. Because they are one of the most confused issues in scoping, SMA teaches a
specific class on them. So they must be important, right?!
Lillian Morson's English Guide for Court Reporters shows you when to use and not
use a comma with them in rule numbers 63 and 65.
Most generally, if the clause is in the beginning of the sentence or question, you'll use a
comma. And most generally, when they are at the end of the sentence or question, you
only use a comma when the added phrase does not add information to the sentence or
question.
Are you familiar with adverbial clauses? And if you are familiar with them, do you know
when to use a comma with them and when you should not?
I ask this because this is one of the most common mistakes that the SIP teaches scopists
about. Because they are one of the most confused issues in scoping, SMA teaches a
specific class on them. So they must be important, right?!
Lillian Morson's English Guide for Court Reporters shows you when to use and not
use a comma with them in rule numbers 63 and 65.
Most generally, if the clause is in the beginning of the sentence or question, you'll use a
comma. And most generally, when they are at the end of the sentence or question, you
only use a comma when the added phrase does not add information to the sentence or
question.
| Read through this exercise and see if you can find 18 mistakes. The answer link is at the bottom of the exercise. Early Monday morning, a box arrived on campus and it’s effects have been devasting. The box was supposed to be a slipment of watercolor sets — points and brushes – for the upcoming Spring Flowers art week. Instead, was what delivered was a box containing a two dozen loaded paintball guns. It is still unclear whether the mix-up is the fault of the paint warehouse or the shipping companion, but both of issued official apologies. Also hazy is how exactly the girls of St. Mary’s came to possses the weapons. Somehow, soon after recess on Monday, all twenty-four gums made it into the hands have students, most suspected to be third graders, though their identity have not been revealed. Using the guns to terrorize there teachers and administrators, the girls soon overtook the school, looking the principle and several “mean” teachers in a custodial closet and forking all other adults to remain the in cafeteria. For the most part the girls have been keeping themselves hidden. If one emerges from a hiding place she is covered in paint, her face hidden behind a banana, virtually possible to recognize. Answers |
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| Just Another Reason to Consider the SIP!! Did you know that SMA/SIP has streamlined the learning and usage process for scopists enrolled in their training program? Since there is so much to learn when one chooses to become a scopist, we have developed the easiest method of learning and utilizing the Case CATalyst software. |