It takes only a quick look at history to realize that few things last for thousands of years. Shorthand has. Important to its longevity are quality, uniqueness, and adaptability.
Ever since 1888, when pen writers populated the shorthand world, practitioners have striven for excellence. The best of that genre demonstrated the ability to capture the spoken word at speeds of 270-280 words per minute. Contemporary shorthand practitioners have objectively shown the ability to capture speech at up to 6 words per second with a high degree of accuracy.
Shorthand reporters, regardless of system, employ the most unique tool ever created: The Human Mind! This is the tool that allows them to react to unclear/incomprehensible speech at once (before that spontaneous witness answer is forever lost), and to know immediately when other issues might interfere with a clear record. It is what they use to filter extraneous noise, separate overlapping speech, recognize privileged communication, identify speakers, request immediate clarification, contend with unexpected events, and then deliver quality transcripts.
Shorthand has adjusted to the needs of society. It was the principal method used to disseminate pulpit preachings in the 16th Century – then the main source of public knowledge. Some of history’s great thinkers engaged stenographers to capture their own extemporaneous musings.
Sparked by public outrage at slanted newspaper accounts, it was used in 18th Century England to provide impartial accounts of debates in Parliament.
19th Century America created the Reporters of Debates to preserve congressional deliberations, and have published those in the Congressional Record to this day. Shorthand writers have sat at the front row of other historic events – such as The Big Three Conferences that ended World War II, The Nuremberg War Crimes Trials – and are seen every day in court proceedings throughout the US.
As the 21st Century is launched, computer technology has become a significant adjunct to shorthand skill. Today’s shorthand experts convert speech to text instantly, can display it on an overhead screen or another computer, and simultaneously deliver it anywhere in the world. Another application of this is providing communication access to the deaf and producing the subtitles seen during televised broadcasts – now called CART Captioning.
A comprehensive discussion about contemporary shorthand careers can be found at the New York State Court Reporters website – Court Reporting As a Career.