Vocabulary
What the exam tests
Legal transcription vocabulary splits into three buckets: procedural terms (arraignment, deposition, voir dire, sidebar, stipulation, continuance, subpoena), roles and documents (affidavit, complaint, exhibit, indictment, docket, caption), and transcription mechanics (verbatim, unintelligible, time code, speaker designation, certification). Expect homophone and near-miss traps, since transcription errors often come from sound-alikes.
Concepts to know
- Sound-alike pairs: sustained/abstained, counsel/council, arraignment/arrangement, statute/statue, liable/libel, precedence/precedents, waiver/waver, deposition/disposition. Learn these as pairs; exam questions often present the wrong member in a plausible sentence.
- Latin and terms of art: pro se, prima facie, mens rea, habeas corpus, res judicata, voir dire, amicus curiae. Know the general meaning, not a treatise.
- Numbers and dates: spoken forms ("the twenty-first of March, two thousand twenty-four") versus written forms; ranges, dollar amounts, and case numbers.
- Abbreviations and designations: Q./A., Mr./Ms., Hon., and standard party labels.
Traps
Questions may test whether a term is being used correctly in context rather than its dictionary gloss - e.g., "sustained" in an objection exchange versus in a general sentence. Another trap is a term that sounds legal but is ordinary ("disposition" as a case outcome vs. a person's temperament). Watch for plural/possessive confusion in party names.
Rule of thumb
When a word sounds unusual but fits the context perfectly, verify it against a reliable legal dictionary before "correcting" it - the speaker may be right.