RPR flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Confidentiality of proceedings

A reporter must not disclose testimony or information learned during a proceeding except as authorized or required by law, court order, or the parties.

Conflict of interest disclosure

A reporter with a financial or personal interest in the litigation, or a close relationship with a party or counsel, must disclose it before accepting the assignment.

Prohibition on legal advice

Reporters may not interpret testimony, explain legal procedure, or advise any party of their rights; doing so exceeds the reporting role and undermines the transcript's neutrality.

Reporter's certificate

A signed statement on the final page attesting that the foregoing transcript is a true and accurate record of the proceedings as reported by that reporter.

NCRA continuing education requirement

RPR certificants must earn 3.0 CEUs, equivalent to 30 contact hours, during each three-year certification cycle to keep the credential current.

Contingent fee prohibition

Accepting payment that depends on the content or outcome of testimony is prohibited because it gives the reporter an incentive to alter the record.

Res ipsa loquitur

Latin for "the thing speaks for itself"; a tort doctrine permitting an inference of negligence from the mere occurrence of an injury-causing event under the defendant's control.

Subpoena duces tecum

A subpoena ordering a person to appear and bring specified documents or records; it adds a production requirement to the ordinary duty to testify.

Voir dire

French for "to speak the truth"; the preliminary examination of prospective jurors, or of a witness, to test qualifications, bias, or competence.

Nunc pro tunc

Latin for "now for then"; describes a court order entered at present but given retroactive effect to correct or supply a prior record.

Pro se

Latin for "for oneself"; describes a litigant who appears without an attorney, also called proceeding in propria persona.

Prima facie

Latin for "at first sight"; describes evidence that is sufficient on its face to establish a fact unless it is rebutted by opposing evidence.

Suffix -ectomy

A Greek-derived suffix meaning surgical removal, as in appendectomy, the removal of the appendix, or hysterectomy, the removal of the uterus.

Prefixes hyper- and hypo-

Hyper- means excessive or above normal, while hypo- means deficient or below normal, as in hypertension, high blood pressure, versus hypotension, low blood pressure.

Combining form cardi/o

A combining form meaning heart, appearing in terms such as cardiac, cardiology, and cardiopulmonary, where cardi/o precedes a suffix or another root.

Suffix -itis

A suffix meaning inflammation, as in bronchitis, inflammation of the bronchial tubes, or dermatitis, inflammation of the skin.

Restrictive versus nonrestrictive clauses

Use "that" for clauses essential to the sentence's meaning without commas; use "which" for nonessential clauses set off by commas.

Semicolon use

A semicolon joins two independent clauses not already linked by a coordinating conjunction, and it may separate list items that contain internal commas.

Serial comma

A comma placed before the conjunction in a series of three or more items; whichever style a reporter chooses must be applied consistently throughout the transcript.

Quotation mark punctuation

In American style, periods and commas are placed inside closing quotation marks, while colons and semicolons are placed outside them.

Affect versus effect

"Affect" is usually a verb meaning to influence; "effect" is usually a noun meaning result, though as a verb it means to bring about.

Who versus whom

Use "who" when the pronoun is the subject of its own clause and "whom" when it is the object of a verb or preposition.

Hyphenating compound modifiers

Hyphenate two or more words acting as a single modifier before a noun, as in "well-known author," but not when the modifier follows the noun.

Lie versus lay

"Lie" is intransitive, meaning to recline, with forms lie, lay, lain; "lay" is transitive, meaning to place something, with lay, laid, laid.

Number bar

The row above the stenotype keys that, pressed together with letter keys, produces numerals instead of the letters those keys normally represent.

Realtime translation

Instant conversion of stenotype strokes into text displayed on monitors or streamed to remote participants, produced by CAT software and the reporter's dictionary.

Scopist

An editor who reviews a reporter's realtime or rough draft against audio and notes, correcting punctuation and untranslates before the reporter certifies the transcript.

Rough draft

An unedited, uncertified transcript generated from the reporter's notes, often delivered immediately for reference and later superseded by a certified transcript.

Transcript page format

Standard transcript pages carry 25 numbered lines set at nine characters per inch with uniform margins, keeping pagination identical across all copies and electronic versions.

Deposition review period

Under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 30(e), a deponent ordinarily has 30 days after notification to review the transcript and submit changes with reasons.

Off-the-record parenthetical

A bracketed notation showing that transcription paused, typically at a party's request and with the presiding officer's approval, so those remarks are not part of the record.

Exhibit marking procedure

When an item is identified for the record, the reporter notes its exhibit number, the offering party, and any objection or ruling, then references it at each mention.