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1. Administrative Hearing - a hearing before any governmental agency or administrative law judge, with proceedings ranging from simple arguments to trials. Increasingly, administrative hearings are being conducted by video conference.
2. American Association of Electronic Reporters and Transcriptionists (AAERT) - a nonprofit organization that provides education and certification for professionals engaged in electronic reporting, transcription, and supportive employment roles. The AAERT also works to promote public awareness and acceptance of the electronic reporting industry.
3. AMICUS Attorney™ - an integrated practice management software program that organizes client files; schedules appointments; manages to-do lists, contacts, and phone calls; and serves other essential administrative tasks all on your computer, laptop, or Palm Pilot. Boston Court Reporters provides their client-attorneys with Amicus software.
4. Arbitration - a mini-trial held in an attempt to avoid a court trial. The arbitration may be agreed to by the parties, may be required by a provision in a contract for settling disputes, or may be provided for under statute. Boston Court Reporters knows that to settle such disputes, arbitrators require a cost-effective, accurate record of the proceedings. Our E-reporting services guarantee just that.
5. ASCII file (pronounced "askee") - a computer term which stands for American Standard Code for Information Interchange. Not only does an ASCII text file contain the most basic formatting information, but it is the most-used text file format. ASCII text is compatible with a wide variety of software programs; therefore, it is easily input by most word processors, stenographic software, even sophisticated case management databases. The client-law firm simply loads the ASCII text into a computer for fast searches and extractions of portions of testimony. ASCII files can be delivered on diskette by courier or by email over the internet.
6. Audio CD - a storage device that houses digital audio data. Audio CDs are the basic CDs recognized in most household CD players. They are not to be confused with MP3 CDs or Data CDs, which can contain data files. The physical form and appearance of each disc is identical for Audio CD, MP3 CD, and CD-ROM - they differ only in the data storage format.
7. Audio file - container format for storing audio data on a computer's local hard drive, LAN server, Audio CD, CD-ROM, DVD, or external storage device.
8. Audio-To-Transcript Synchronization - the process of transferring both an audio file and a time-certified transcript into a CD-ROM so that each serves as a complementary element to the other. The result is a captioned audio file that can be simultaneously heard and read. Since the CD-ROM is a digital device, both the text and audio data it contains can be searched to enhance case preparation capabilities.
9. Board Meeting - a meeting of the directors of a company or a meeting conducted for administrative purposes. Boston Court Reporters will help you get the most out of your Board Meeting. We can digitally record your meeting, produce e-transcripts, and even set up web-broadcasts or video-conferences for those unable to be physically present.
10. Bundling - Boston Court Reporters offers this advanced court reporting service. For enhanced case presentation, we can combine and synchronize your digital files (transcripts, exhibits, audio, and video) and then store them on CD-ROM or DVD.
11. CRT reporters (Communication Access Realtime Translation) - reporters who, in real time, locally stream text of a proceeding onto a projection screen, or who globally streamline the text across the web to computer monitors or screens elsewhere for the sake of the hearing-impaired.
12. Case Management - an advanced service function of Boston Court Reporters, whose sole purpose is to help law firms organize their case materials (transcripts, exhibits, audio, video). A password-protected repository (law firm server folder) is provided.
13. Case Transcript Manager - Boston Court Reporters' case management programs such as RealLegal and Sanction have transcript manager features that allow our staff to synchronize media files to transcript text, perform editing tasks, and resolve any transcript display issues.
14. CaseView™ - a real-time receive-software program that enables its user to view testimony on-screen, insert notes, highlight text, and perform basic word string searches. CaseView™ also enables you to scroll back to previous testimony or to mark present testimony for later reference. Case View™ is a competitive service that top-reporting firms across the country employ. Clients find it extremely useful.
15. CD - an optical storage device capable of holding up to 650 MB or 80 minutes of uncompressed digital audio. "Audio CDs" contain up to 80 minutes of uncompressed audio files, "MP3 CDs" contain compressed MP3 files up to 20 hours (with an inverse relationship between amount of compression and audio quality), and "CD-ROMs" contain any combination of text, images, audio, and video up to 650 MB or 700 MB depending on manufacturer.
16. CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory) - a compact disc containing up to 700 MB of information that can be read only from a CD-ROM drive. Audio CDs can be played on both CD players and many CD-ROM drives, but a CD-ROM disc cannot be played on a CD player.
17. Closed Captioning - subtitles for the hearing-impaired that are transmitted as digital data in the Vertical Blanking Interval (VBI). The speakers' words are typed out on the screen as text in line 21 of the Vertical Blanking Interval.
18. Complex Litigation Support - Boston Court Reporters offers this service. We arm our attorney clients with the most efficient and effective tools to categorize, display, and present case testimony and evidence. These tools include our repository, case management, data bundling, videography, audio enhancement, video editing, and presentation services.
19. Condensed Transcript - At Boston Court Reporters, we routinely provide attorneys and judges with condensed copies, up to 8 pages of original transcript per single sheet of paper, front and back, or single-sided. Almost all of our condensed transcripts are four pages of original transcript per single side.
20. Confirmations - Boston Court Reporters helps attorneys verify that a scheduled deposition will actually take place. Confirmations are made the day before the deposition. We closely track scheduled depositions and by extension, help manage our clients' schedules as well.
21. Deposition Suites - At Boston Court Reporters, we provide our clients with complementary deposition suites. Besides being quiet, clean, and confidential, our suites include essential business amenities, video conferencing capabilities, and our own professional administrative staff.
22. Digitization - broadly, the conversion of non-digital to digital data is the result of the technological revolution of the past few decades. In court reporting, digitization includes: (a) scanning digital images of non-digital images - fingerprints, photographs, pictures, letters, (b) creating digital video from VHS, S-VHS, or other magnetic tape formats, (c) converting magnetic audio tapes to digital audio data, (d) making a digital text file of written material through Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology, and (e) the progress of court reporting technology from computer-aided stenograph machines from the late '70s to "real-time" stenograph court reporting of the '90s (as computers became faster and more powerful) to the fine digital audio and video recording and logging technology (E-reporting) of the late '90s.
23. Disciplinary Hearing - a session held by a committee to determine if a member of its given institution has violated the rules of conduct. In some settings, specifically corporate, these proceedings require the highest level of discretion and delicacy. Boston Court Reporters understands this and the most unobtrusive procedure for reporting such meetings. Our e-reporters can make digital records of such events without being present.
24. Discovery ZX™ - Discovery ZX is a full-text search and retrieval annotation and report-generation software program, enabling the client to search for key words and phrases across select transcripts or an entire database of up to 999 individual transcripts.
25. Document Viewing - a term that describes one of Boston Court Reporters' case management solutions. Scanned documents can be archived and made available on CD ROM or DVD, granting the litigator instant access to key testimony, thereby saving valuable time and money.
26. Duplication - refers to converting an object from one form to another or to reproducing additional copies of the same form. We can reproduce a non-digital picture image in digital form and store it on recordable CD-ROM or DVD, or we can make duplicate copies of MP3 CDs, CD-ROMs, or DVDs for playback by multiple parties.
27. DVD ("Digital Versatile Disk," formerly Digital Video Disk) - the same physical appearance as a CD-ROM but holding seven times the capacity. DVDs can be double-sided and dual layered. DVDs are most-often used to display full-length commercial motion pictures, with additional material such as movie trailers, director's commentary, actor interviews, outtakes, etc.
28. ELMO Document Camera - a composite camera allowing the projection of written documents, photographs, x-rays, and other objects onto a 6' by 9' projection screen. The scroll and zoom features allow virtually any document to be displayed completely and with clarity. Boston Court Reporters provides attorneys with the ELMO document camera to help with their case presentations.
29. E-reporting - the process of digitally recording and digitally logging any proceeding - deposition, trial, arbitration, public or administrative hearing, town meeting, board meeting - and then creating the written record (transcript, word index, exhibits, full/condensed copy, ASCII, E-transcript, MP3 CD, JPEG, bundles). Boston Court Reporters works with its clients to provide scheduling and depositions, case management, repositories, all forms of evidence, and evidence presentation. With our fast computers, wide internet bandwidth, and management software applications, Boston Court Reporters is the first E-reporting firm in Massachusetts and first reporting firm in Boston to focus on advanced digital processes. Qualified e-reporters, quality microphones and digital recorders, powerful servers, and the latest software applications produce accurate transcripts, clear audio, crisp video, fine exhibits, and persuasive bundles every time. Boston Court Reporters will work with you to create the most persuasive evidence we can at a price you can afford. We will work with you to make the best "cost-presentation trade-off."
30. E-transcript - a new electronic transcript form, including an efficient, hyperlinked word index that enables you to rapidly scan the Word Index and click quickly to the selected place in the transcript, can be easily delivered by email, FTP download, or overnight delivery. Not only does an E-transcript have its own built-in program, you do not have to buy or install additional software. Also, it imports seamlessly into almost all word processors and case management programs. Boston Court Reporters proudly offers E-transcripts to its clients. Call us if you want to learn more. We would be happy to explain to you the features of this very fine product.
31. Expedited Service - Boston Court Reporters offers its clients expedited service so they can receive their transcript when they need it.
32. Hearing - a proceeding before a court, other decision-making body, corporate committee, or designated official.
33. BHIPAA Confidentiality Statements - HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountable Act) is legislation that was passed in 1996. It includes a privacy rule creating national standards to help protect personal health information. Medical transcriptions have to meet or exceed HIPAA regulations. Boston Court Reporters' HIPAA Confidentiality Statements are written agreements stating that our transcriptionists will protect the privacy of individuals under HIPAA stipulations.
34. HTML - short for Hypertext Markup Language, it refers to the tag-based ASCII language used to create pages on the web.
35. Interactive Real Time - a more technical name is Computer Integrated Courtroom (CIC). In a court room or deposition suite, interactive real time or CIC technology enables all parties to have immediate access to the text of the proceeding as it unfolds. Additional resources, such as previous testimony and exhibits, can also be made accessible.
36. Interpretation - in court or at a deposition, instances arise when the services of an interpreter are required. Boston Court Reporters offers interpretation and translation services. Our courtesy MP3 audio or digital video enables any party to verify the accuracy of the interpretation.
37. JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) - a standard digital image compression mechanism. JPEG compression is "lossy," meaning that the compression scheme sacrifices some image quality in exchange for a reduction in the file's size.
38. Keyword Index - a listing of significant terms in a document by page and line number. The keyword index of a transcript helps you to easily locate specific testimony.
39. LiveNote Realtime™ - an interactive, real-time software program that enables clients to receive unedited, real time transcripts of a proceeding as it happens.
40. Mediation - an alternative means of resolving disputes in which the two parties involved work with a neutral third (in law, a professional) to negotiate an agreement.
41. Min-U-Script with Master Word Index - Min-U-Script is a software program that creates condensed transcripts and indices, the condensed transcript and index itself being referred to as "the Min-U-Script." At the back of each Min-U-Script is an index of all words spoken, with the page and line number of each occurrence. When the hyperlinked index is organized by witness, too, it is referred to as a "Master Word Index."
42. MP2 - also known as Musicam, is a short form of MPEG Audio Layer II, and it is also used as a file extension for files containing audio data of this type. While it has largely been superseded by MP3 for PC and internet applications, it remains a dominant standard for audio broadcasting as part of the DAB digital radio and DVB digital television standards.
43. MP3 - an acronym for MPEG-1 Audio Layer-3. MP3 is the standard technology and format for compressing a sound sequence into a very small file while preserving the original level of sound quality when it is played.
44. MP3 CD - a compact-disc storing one or multiple MP3 files.
45. MPEG (Motion Picture Experts Group) - a standard used for the compression of digital video and audio sequences. MPEG sacrifices some image quality to achieve very high compression. MPEG has been revised several times in recent yeas. MPEG4 us the latest variant. MPEG2 is the technology used on DVD video discs.
46. National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) - a nonprofit organization committed to advancing the profession of court reporters. The NCRA works on behalf of its members in areas of testing and certification, education, government relations, fiscal responsibility, and technological advancement.
47. National Legal Video Association (NLVA) - the NLVA's purpose is to create and improve the understanding of the role of the legal videographer among its members, customers, attorneys, judges, the court system, legislators and regulators, and the bar and to ensure that NLVA members are the preferred professionals for capturing the video record.
48. National Verbatim Reporters Association (NVRA) - the national professional organization dedicated to the important evolving practice of voice writing. The NVRA provides educational support and benefits to its members.
49. Notary Public - one who can administer oaths, swears in deponents at depositions, and serves as an impartial witness to the signing of documents.
50. Online Services - Boston Court Reporters delivers full online services from E-transcripts to digital audio and video files to password-protected repositories to presentation services.
51. Polycom Two-Way Conference Loudspeaker - the Polycom conference phone console loudspeaker with volume controls adjustable up to 95dBA SPL (peak) volume at 1 meter, allows users to communicate clearly during a teleconference regardless of participants' whereabouts. As you are aware, the amount of teleconferencing and videoconferencing is on the rise. Boston Court Reporters employs Polycom phone consoles so that both those present in the deposition room and those distant in their offices can actively participate in the deposition.
52. ProScan Converter - scans PowerPoint, Word, and Excel files and converts them into a desirable format for all to view during a video conference. Boston Court Reporters offers ProScan converters as part of our video-conferencing package.
53. Public Hearing - a meeting to receive comments from any interested party regarding an upcoming decision that affects the public. Three important public hearings were: 'The Condition of Yankee Rowe Nuclear Plant,' 'Fishermen's Rights within the Stellwagen Bank Marine Life Sanctuary,' and 'Should Boston University Be Permitted To Construct the Bioresearch Laboratory in Residential Boston?'
54. QuickTime - a Macintosh program that enables the management and synchronization of time-based digital files (video, audio, animation). QuickTime refers to two things. It is both a program and a video format (i.e., you can run the QuickTime program or have a QuickTime file), The video format itself is platform-independent and the QuickTime playback program is available on PC and on Macintosh. QuickTime is a fine program for court room video playback.
55. Real Audio - an audio format developed by Real Networks that performs well at low bandwidths, often used for audio streaming. Because one can listen to the audio while it is still streaming, Real Audio is ideal for real time digital presentation.
56. Real-Time Stenography - as computers became faster and more powerful, a stenographer was able to enter his or her keystrokes into a CAT (Computer Aided Transcript) system capable of translating those keystrokes into a digitized record contemporaneously, which provides an unedited written document even as the record is made. Others can immediately view this unedited text, to be later corrected by the stenographer. The speed and quality of this type of system, known as "real-time stenography," is familiar to anyone who has followed the closed caption text of a live television program. While not 100% accurate, the text is accurate enough for the viewer to understand the content of the program or proceeding. While costly, increasingly, judges and attorneys enjoy the usefulness of real-time stenography.
57. RealLegal Binder™ - with RealLegal Binder™, which works in conjunction with RealLegal Publisher™, Boston Court Reporters can offer counsel immediate access to transcripts and exhibit files. We also deliver "Publisher Bundles" on CD-ROM or DVD.
58. RealLegal DepoStream™ - a "pay-per-use" realtime technology for taking part in a deposition from anywhere by means of an Internet connection. Boston Court Reporters broadcasts a live, text-only deposition to a secure Internet site. Confidentiality is ensured. No special software purchase is required for feed recipients. DepoStream sessions can be scheduled, modified, or cancelled 24-7 from anywhere via an Internet connection.
59. RealLegal E-Transcript™ - one of our favorite programs, E-Transcript enables a client to view both the transcript and its word index, side by side. More versatile than a text or ASCII file, the indexed words are hyperlinked to the exact place in the transcript where the word is located, so that by scanning the word index and clicking on a word, you are taken right to the word, line, and page in the transcript. E-transcripts print in full or compressed format and can be delivered to clients as an email attachment, FTP download, or overnight delivery on CD-ROM. A free viewer is available on RealLegal's website at reallegal.com. Boston Court Reporters is happy to explain to you the features of this very useful program.
60. RealLegal Publisher™ - a helpful program to simplify discovery review without requiring auxiliary software or complicated technology. Electronic transcripts, documents, and video are viewed side by side within the viewers. These files work with other RealLegal software such as Image Viewer, E-transcript Viewer, and RealLegal Binder.
61. Repository - Boston Court Reporters provides law firms with password-protected folders for rapid control and access to their case documents (transcripts, exhibits, and letters), audio file, video files, and other pertinent data. Our repositories are directly accessible to the user-client.
62. SANCTION™ - Trial presentation software package offered by Boston Court Reporters. It provides litigators with reliable, user-friendly tools to create powerful presentation pieces for trial.
63. Settlement Conference - a discussion among the disputing parties, their counsel, and a neutral attorney or court official, to explore options for settling a dispute before it proceeds to litigation, a perfect instance where E-reporting features can expedite testimony review and increase the effectiveness of the process. This process can be voluntary or ordered by a judge.
64. Signature Follow-up - in addition to determining whether witnesses have read and signed their depositions, Boston Court Reporters will follow up with a notarized certificate attesting to a deponent's failing to do so.
65. Stenography - a comparatively labor- and cost-intensive process for recording trial and deposition proceedings using CAT-assisted stenography. Certified court stenographers are capable of typing keystrokes equal to at least 220 words per minute, yet because of their high cost and new cost-effective forms of digital evidence, court reporting is increasingly relying on this two-step digital process: (1) digitally recording, digitally logging speakers and notes, and receiving and marking exhibits, and (2) then transcribing and assembling the written record. Not only is digital audio (today very clean, crystal clear) being used as source material for the written record, but it is being used as persuasive presentation evidence in and of itself; digital video, even more so.
66. Subpoena - used to obtain testimony from a witness both at depositions (testimony under oath taken outside of court) and at trial. Since subpoenas must be served personally on the party being summoned and out-of-state firms occasionally have difficulty coordinating local depositions, Boston Court Reporters provides Process Serving services.
67. Summation - a trial presentation software package. Summation Blaze is a software program designed by litigators to search and annotate transcripts, control and retrieve document database summaries and document images, take interactive Realtime depositions, and create case outlines. It also features Summation Realtime, an interactive tool for viewing, searching and annotating Realtime depositions.
68. Synchronization - Using video synchronization tools such as DepositionDirector, we can synchronize your videotapes and transcripts on CD-ROM or DVD, enabling both video and written testimony to be simultaneously viewed by laptop or computer. See also Audio-To-Transcript synchronization.
69. Teleconferencing - two or more people who are geographically separated from one another meeting by telecommunications link. Typically, used in depositions, where increasingly one or more parties are not physically present in the deposition room.
70. Time-Stamped Transcripts - Boston Court Reporters prints timestamps on certified transcripts that correspond to the video time code, enabling you to fast forward to the testimony being viewed in the transcript. Furthermore, this coordination of transcript and video reduces video editing time when producing final video for trial presentation and thereby reduces the final cost.
71. Town Meeting - a form of local government commonly practiced in New England, where town decisions are decided by all town residents in attendance in the Town Hall. Today in court reporting parlance, "town meeting" refers to a meeting of any governmental body, such as in "The Town Meeting of Arlington, Massachusetts" or to a meeting of a government department or body, such as the Planning Commission, Licensing Commission, Zoning Board, Police Commission, any city department where "who says what" is important and a matter of public record.
72. Transcript - In a court proceeding, a transcript is the textual record of all comments by the judge, the opening and closing arguments of litigants' lawyers, the examinations of witnesses, the presentation of exhibits, playback of audio and video recordings, interpretations of language, and all other comments. The transcript is expected to be the exact, unedited record of every spoken word, with each speaker indicated.
73. Transcription - an accurate, typed rendition of oral or recorded information.
74. Transcript-To-Video Synchronization - Deposition videos and time-stamped certified transcripts are transferred to CD-ROM or DVD and synchronized so that they appear together on split screen, typically the video above, the transcript beneath. See Synchronization.
75. Translation - the task of translating the meaning of text in one language - the source text - to equivalent text in another language - the target text or translation; the process of transferring video or audio from one physical media to another; or the process of converting one file format to another (CD to MP3, etc.).
76. Trial - a hearing for presenting witness testimony and physical evidence to a judge and jury in order to determine if the accused is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of the crime(s) as charged.
77. Trial Director™ - a court presentation tool with powerful multi-display capabilities used to present all forms of evidence via PC or laptop, such as synchronized transcripts, video playback, scanned images, photographs, and even PowerPoint presentations. It also includes barcode readers for quick recall of particular items during trial. Boston Court Reporters supplies Trial Director™ software.
78. Trial Presentation Equipment - any software or hardware that aids a litigator in presenting documents, transcripts, video clips, audio clips, or images to a jury during a trial. This equipment includes Trial Director™, SANCTION™, and Summation™ software, video and audio playback, and LCD panels, ELMOs, projection screens, additional laptops, and other specialized devices.
79. VCR (Video Cassette Recorder) - a magnetic recording and playback machine. Generally used for recording and viewing full-motion video, but useful (when adapted) as a data backup device.
80. VHS (Vertical Helical Scan, or as JVC named it, "Video Home System") - widely used method of recording audio and video electrical signals onto magnetic tape.
81. Video Editing - assembling selected portions of a recorded video to achieve a targeted presentation goal.
82 Video Services - services provided by Boston Court Reporters' NLVA-certified videographers. These include digitally videorecorded depositions. Our videographers can digitize existing videotaped depositions, synchronize them with corresponding transcripts and put them on CD-ROM or DVD. Integrated into a versatile case management software program, this synchronized video becomes a powerful presentation tool in settlement negotiations or courtroom playback.
83. Videoconferencing - a videoconference (also known as a video teleconference) is a meeting among persons where both telephony and closed circuit television technologies are used simultaneously. Today's state-of-the-art videoconferencing provides seamless, high quality video, enabling crisp communication between videoconference participants in two or more locations, whether in the U.S. or abroad. By making use of our document cameras, participants can display and view exhibits as easily as if just across the table.
84. Videography - a specialized field of court reporting that includes video recording, video editing, and video presentation services to the community. Proper placement of microphones and the camera, frame composition, and lighting can all make a very important difference in final video quality and its persuasiveness as testimony. Deposition videos are increasingly important to your trial outcome, so obtaining the video you want is much more critical than videotaping a typical event. Employing Boston Court Reporters' qualified videographers can help you with this crucial difference.
85. VideoNote™ - software Boston Court Reporters uses to combine court reporter transcripts and video testimony on CD-ROM or DVD. The video deposition is synchronized with the text, providing the litigation team with random access to text and video on a standard PC or laptop.
86. Voice-Writing - an increasingly popular method of court reporting, based on the promise of voice recognition speech-to-text software. During a trial or deposition, the voice-writer rapidly and crisply repeats speaker's words verbatim into the stenomask, which is used to contain the sound of the voice writer's voice from others' ears in the proceeding. His or her words are then translated into text via speech recognition software. A copy of her digital voice-file is concurrently recorded for later reference during final editing.
87. Web Casting - a web cast is similar in intent to a broadcast television program but designed for internet transmission. Boston Court Reporters' web cast clients allow a user to connect to our server, which distributes the web cast, which then can be displayed on the user's monitor or screen.
88. Windows Media Player - a free media player used for playing audio and video on personal computers that run Microsoft Windows. Microsoft also has made available versions for other operating systems including Pocket PC, Mac OS, and Solaris - which tend to lag behind the Windows versions in features, software update frequency, and the number of file formats supported. The basic file formats are WMV (Windows Media Video and Audio), WMA (Windows Media Audio), and ASF (Advanced Streaming Format).
© 2006 Boston Court Reporters. All rights reserved.
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