Scopists Defined

What is a Scopist? The word "scopist" comes from the first computers used to translate stenographic text into the English language using CAT (Computer Aided Transcription) software. These computers used a diode screen or a “scope” as they were referred to, with tiny green text screens. Later the merging of the two words "typist" and "periscope" evolved to become the word "scopist."

To be considered a trained professional scopist, there are many skills in which a scopist must be proficient, the two most important being good English and punctuation. Combine those with the learned skill of ability to read machine shorthand, and you have a scopist. People who tend to make good scopists are those who enjoy working with words, possess a wide vocabulary and are good spellers. This particularly important when following the context of sentences, something a scopist must understand to avoid spelling or punctuating words the wrong way.

It may be hard to believe, but there are very few existing scopists in relation to the amount of official court reporters. The ratio of scopists to court reporters is currently about 1 to 2,500. So to a reporter today, finding a good scopist could be tricky. But with the advent of new database technology here at Scoping Central, scopists are easier to find and connect with than ever before.

Many reporters claim that scopists can be expensive and that they sometimes make mistakes, however, the right scopist can be invaluable to a reporter in many ways. While it is true that scopists do not come cheap, and the fact that they are not present with the court reporter at the proceedings being transcribed, with the right training, preparation and management they can greatly enhance a court reporter’s income, giving them valuable free time to spend doing other things including taking on more assignments, thus increasing their income.

For more information about scopist careers visit http://www.scopingcentral.com