Machine Shorthand Reporter
What the work is
Records and reproduces the spoken word in court and parliamentary proceedings, television programming and for the deaf and hard of hearing using handwritten shorthand, stenotype shorthand machines, computer-assisted transcription software, and sound recording equipment.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Records proceedings in shorthand using computerised equipment and shorthand writing machines
- Transcribes recorded information
- Proofreads and corrects transcripts
- Reproduces the spoken word, environmental sounds and song lyrics as captions in audiovisual productions
- May read portions of transcripts during proceedings
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a small typing and transcription office that serves local firms and a regional court. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A messy, muffled recording becomes a clean transcript that someone can rely on
- You find a wrong entry before it travels through three other systems
- A quiet morning, good headphones and a long file that flows from start to finish
Hard days
- Hours of repeat typing where one slip can hide among thousands of correct entries
- A recording where two people talk over each other and the deadline is tonight
- Sitting still all day, with sore wrists and tired eyes by mid-afternoon
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 561232, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.