CSR Certified Shorthand Reporter common mistakes
CSR Certified Shorthand Reporter · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
While taking literary dictation, the candidate stops to reread or correct the previous sentence and then loses several words of the next passage.
Perfectionism and unfamiliarity with sustained literary pace cause the reporter to treat dictation as an editing exercise rather than a continuous capture task.
What to do instead
Practice timed literary passages with a rule of writing continuously and flagging uncertain words for later review; build steno briefs for frequent literary connectives and punctuation.
The candidate writes 'council' for 'counsel,' 'principle' for 'principal,' or 'their' for 'there' during fast dictation.
Homophones sound identical in dictation, and the candidate transcribes by sound without applying sentence context or legal collocation.
What to do instead
Maintain a personal homophone/confusable-word list and drill it in context sentences; proofread every transcript specifically for sound-alike substitutions before certification.
The candidate paraphrases or modernizes jury charge language, changing 'shall' to 'must' or shortening repeated legal phrases.
The charge contains unfamiliar or archaic phrasing, and the candidate unconsciously substitutes smoother wording to keep pace.
What to do instead
Drill actual-style jury charge passages verbatim, marking defined terms and repeated phrases; proofread the charge against the dictated text word for word rather than for sense.
The candidate begins a new answer in the same paragraph as the preceding question or fails to start each new speaker on a new line with Q. and A. labels.
Rapid question-and-answer dictation encourages the reporter to keep writing without registering speaker changes.
What to do instead
Practice short Q&A exchanges with a hard rule that every speaker change triggers a new paragraph and label; use the speaker's voice change as the cue.
The candidate misspells or invents spellings for legal terms such as 'venire,' 'allocution,' or 'nolle prosequi.'
These terms are heard rarely and are not in ordinary spelling vocabulary, so the candidate guesses phonetically under time pressure.
What to do instead
Build and review a legal-term glossary with phonetic cues; when uncertain, write the phonetic approximation in the draft and verify the spelling before finalizing.
The candidate switches between numerals and spelled-out numbers within the same transcript, such as '3 witnesses' followed by 'three exhibits.'
No consistent number rule is applied during transcription, so the candidate follows whatever form first comes to mind.
What to do instead
Adopt a written transcript style sheet for number ranges, dates, money, and measurements, and apply it during a dedicated proofreading pass.
The candidate leaves confidential exhibits or audio files on a shared drive or discusses case testimony with a friend or on social media.
Convenience and informal work habits override confidentiality obligations, especially when working remotely.
What to do instead
Use encrypted, access-controlled storage and a written confidentiality checklist; disclose only to authorized parties and document any release.
The candidate alters the capitalization of defined terms in jury instructions, writing 'the court' when the charge says 'the Court' or 'Plaintiff' when it says 'plaintiff.'
The candidate normalizes capitalization to ordinary prose style while writing at speed.
What to do instead
Highlight defined terms in the source charge and treat their capitalization as fixed; proofread jury charges specifically for defined-term consistency.
The candidate omits parentheticals for non-verbal testimony such as '(witness nodding)' or '(exhibit marked)' during Q&A transcription.
Attention is fixed on spoken words, so visible or described non-verbal events are not captured as transcript content.
What to do instead
Use a Q&A checklist that includes non-verbal cues; practice transcripts containing interruptions, gestures, and exhibit markings until parenthetical placement becomes automatic.
The candidate submits a transcript without verifying page and line numbering, the certification block, or the required caption and title page.
Formatting checks are left until the end and are rushed or skipped when the deadline approaches.
What to do instead
Run a final production checklist covering caption, page/line numbers, certification signature, and required headers before delivery.