That was the week that was.
I get to a job and hear someone say ‘Your typist is here!’ This sets my teeth grinding….so let’s see what’s involved with notetaking…
Sunday: I research the travel needs for this week’s jobs and get the paperwork in order.
Monday/Tuesday: SMS arrives:”Anyone free for ENT in Greenwich university 9-12 Thursdays Oct-December? If available, send fee”.
Meriel Michaelides
It’s that time of year again – Will I get this bid? No. Another notetaker got the job. Never mind, I have an ATW [Access to Work] job in court for a hard of hearing witness, over two days.
Will I swear the oath? The usher and solicitors had to work it out. Will I remember to call the judge by his right title? Will I have time and a space for setting up my laptops so the witness can read what everyone says?
The witness is more nervous than me. At home, the near verbatim text is corrected for spelling and grammar errors before being emailed to the client.
Wednesday: college-funded manual notetaking for a mature student’s lecture on psychology followed by a seminar. She uses interpreters. I am in luck. She sent the course notes for it so I can be aware of any new subject-related terms.
Let’s hope any films are subtitled. Oops. Nearly forgot to get the timesheet signed as she rushed out without picking up the notes.
Thursday: a conference job with a co-worker in a smart hotel; we take turns to type what speakers say and it is projected onto a big screen. A perk of the job – delicious buffet lunch. One of us does an edit on a spare laptop while the other types to screen, taking extra care as typing errors would be on display.
Friday: I can juggle a educational assignment in the morning and whiz over to a bank meeting in the afternoon. Whew! Onlookers at these jobs often come over and say how amazed they are at my concentration and output.
Just a typist? I think not. I love the variety in my job .
Find out more about notetaking via our supporter the Association of Notetakers’ website by clicking here.
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Saoirse
September 25, 2017
An interesting read. More needs to be done to promote awareness of Notetakers, Lipspeakers and Speech to Text Reporters.
One thing that caught my eye though, this notetaker speaks of working in a court setting with a deaf witness.
As far as I’m aware, the Ministry of Justice’s National Framework Agreement for Interpreting and Translation states that only NRCPD registered BSL/English Interpreters, Lipspeakers and Speech to Text Reporters should be used in court settings in England and Wales. There is no mention of notetakers, whether registered or not, in the NFA.
The Framework Agreement was admittedly set up in 2007. Does anyone know if the Agreement has been revised or abandoned since then?
Tim
September 25, 2017
Wow, they use lip-speakers in court?
Given that lip-reading is a lot of guess work, maybe such evidence should be excluded.
Meriel Michaelides
October 18, 2017
Sorry for delay in replying but the witness asked me to do the notetaking for her to know what those present were saying. My text would not be used for any formal legal representation and the court was happy with the arrangement.
Saoirse
September 25, 2017
Are you perhaps getting confused between lip-SPEAKERS and lipREADERS, Tim?
Lip-speakers are a bona fide form of communication support. They are trained to be easy to lipread. For some deaf/hard of hearing people, lip-speakers are the preferred method of communication support.
If you’re a deaf witness or defendant who prefers to use lip-speakers, who doesn’t sign and perhaps doesn’t have a sufficient level of literacy to use a STTR, how would you suggest they follow proceedings if not by using a lip-speaker?
Tim
September 27, 2017
No, I’m not confused, I’ve used lip-speakers in the past, Saoirse.
You have to be able to lip-read them to understand what’s being said. Lip-reading is very tiring and a lot of guesswork and it just gets harder the longer it goes on.
Not good in a court of law.
Tim
September 28, 2017
No, I’m not confused, I’ve used lip-speakers in the past, Saoirse.
You have to be able to lip-read them to understand what’s being said. Lip-reading is very tiring and a lot of guesswork and it just gets harder the longer it goes on.
Not good in a court of law.