Taking Notes in Court: How?

In Germany, court protocolls are usually written down in longhand {according to our "Judicature Act") (although some of the recording civil servants may use [an own version of] shorthand as well).

Chances are they are using a machine by Stenograph called Stentura and software by Stenograph called Case Catalyst. {There is other equipment out there and used also.} They are the top of the line and up to date with computer aided transcription, realtime capabilities and transference of transcripts to other pc users.

There is strokes to indicate an entire sentence, ones which might be used over and over, such as Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury. There is hundreds of shortcut strokes for well used phrases. Otherwise words are written not by the word but how they sound. If a word has a long vowel sound it must be stroked a different way than a short vowel sound.

There is a LCD screen on the face of the machine which shows what is being written. With a computerized machine complete with your personal dictionary the LCD screen shows the transcribed text.
The keyboard has these letters:

0123456789 top row is solid # bar.
STPH * FPLT D, 2nd row
SKWR * RBGS Z, 3rd row
AOEU bottom row is vowels, EU is letter I.

Combinations of keys together provide the alphabet.

STPH, SKWR and AO keys are stroked with the left hand.
FPLT, RBGS and EU(I) keys are stroked with the right hand.
The "*" is used for many things.

There is a pricture of the Stentura @:
Stentura

Ruach- Your link doesn't work!

Another system sometimes used is a form of dictograph, whereby the court recorder simultaneously dictates (very quietly) into a "mouthpiece" which makes a direct recording. The recorder later transcribes the recording on any standard writing device.

In over 300 depositions, I've seen the machine Ruach was referring to about 299 or so times. A combination of key strokes is used to create certain letters. For names and other identifiers, the court reporter usually just writes them down on a separate sheet of paper, and s/he creates a code for them. So, for Nassau County, the code might be NCC (or whatever) and the stenographer then tells the transcriptionist (who may very well be the same person) that NCC = Nassau County.

In one instance, the stenographer took notes using Gregg shorthand. He was as fast as anyone I've ever seen on the machines. I haven't personally seen the quietly speaking-type of stenography, although I know it exists.

Also, in the US, if you are being videotaped during a deposition or trial, a stenographic record is also required.

Makesmeshiver (member name) probably knows all there is to know on this question.

Well, just noticed that McTag isn't asking only about trials (wrote a term paper in law about "Judicature Act"/court procedures, btw, but just re German law :wink: ).

German parliaments (federal and stae) are the only places, where verbatim notes are taken (including "bbooh from the opposition"/ "minutelong applause from the coalition parties").

The speeches etc are stenographed 'by hand', a couple of stenographers is routating during the meetings.
These are civil servants, all with university degrees and belong to the highest paid group in parliament.

Thank you all for informative and interesting answers.
Ruach, brilliant.
(I went on the Stenograph site and read about the Stentura machines, too)

McT

jespah: I have also been in a depostion where a stenographer took handwritten notes. I gotta' say, everyone was mightily impressed.

Phoenix, I adjusted the link, please let me know if it works. Just go back to my first post and click, Stentura.

McTag, if you go to ebay and type in stenograph you will see machines for sale. The new ones cost an arm, leg and neck.
Of course you will see manual and computer compatible and some really!!! old ones also. It is very interesting and really good pictures also.

Same here, joefromchitown. The dude (one of the few male stenographers I've ever seen) was maybe 70 (this was in the late '80s), but man, was he fast!

Stenographers have good stories. I met one who had been at the Nuremberg trials working. She told us how they had to be very careful because there was a marksman trying to kill people involved in the trials. The place was all bombed out and soldiers searched for days for the marksman.
Another story from an excellent stenographer ( a man) from NY, who had to jump out of the shower naked and take a deposition over the phone from a guy in the mafia because they needed his testimony before he might be murdered. He took the entire deposition naked.

stenography?
I'm working on solving a puzzle and I'm pretty sure it has to do with stenography - can someone confirm this for me and perhaps help me solve it? or point me in the right direction?

A FPLT
S KP
PW FPLT
R
PW O* T
S E R
ROE
FPLT

K R FPLT
KW A U L S
A EU T
FPLT

TK FPLT
S KP
E FPLT
R
PW O* T
TP O UR
FPLT

TP FPLT
KW A U L S
TP AO EUF
FPLT

thanks in advance...

i'm most of the way there - i've cracked a few bits but am at a loss for the following bolded items:

A FPLT
S KP[
PW FPLT
R
PW O* T
S E R
ROE
FPLT

K R FPLT
KW A U L S
A EU T
FPLT

TK FPLT
S KP
E FPLT
R
PW O* T
TP O UR
FPLT

TP FPLT
KW A U L S
TP AO EUF
FPLT

i know most of what i'm looking for - this code is supposed to give me the numbers to substitute for A,B,C,D,E and F

I've gotten them all except for A and D. And i'm confused by the words in the code that look like they are suppose to spell out 'robot and 'qual'??

please help!

could

S KP mean skip?

and

R
PW O* T mean repeat???

No idea, beats me. Good luck.

Here is what I came up with. Perhaps S KP is meant to mean SKIP or even AND, although and is typically keyed as A PB.

A.FPLT~~~~~~ A.
S KP[
PW FPLT~~~~~ B.
R~~~~~ are
PW O* T ~~~~~ both
S E R~~~~~ zero.
ROE
FPLT

K R FPLT~~~~~ C.
KW A U L S~~~~~ equals
A EU T~~~~~ eight.
FPLT

TK FPLT~~~~~ D.
S KP
E FPLT~~~~~ E.
R~~~~~ are
PW O* T~~~~~ both
TP O UR ~~~~~ four.
FPLT

TP FPLT~~~~~ F.
KW A U L S~~~~~ equals
TP AO EUF~~~~~ five.
FPLT