Legal transcription is not easy. Legal transcriptionists need to be well-trained in the field and have excellent knowledge about the terminology that attorneys use to be able to produce and deliver accurate and timely transcripts. While proficiency to research words rapidly is very crucial in fulfilling these goals, being familiar with the definitions of legal terms can improve efficiency, speed, and productivity to a great extent. Good knowledgeable employees make the Legal transcription services accurate.
The ability to interpret legal terminology would help the legal transcriptionist understand the context of the audio more easily and quickly. This would also make it easier to track misspellings if any and correct them to produce files with no errors. Moreover, being aware of the context would allow one to easily figure out what a hard-to-hear word in the audio file is. A transcriptionist needs to be keen about knowing the jargon associated with the industry to deliver better output.
Here are some examples of legal terms used in US Courts and their definitions that legal transcriptionists should know:
- Voir dire – Jury selection process of questioning prospective jurors, to ascertain their qualifications and determine any basis for challenge
- Subpoena – A command, issued under a court’s authority, to a witness to appear and give testimony
- Sequester – To separate. Sometimes juries are sequestered from outside influences during their deliberations
- Nolo contendere – No contest, A plea of nolo contendere has the same effect as a plea of guilty, as far as the criminal sentence is concerned, but may not be considered as an admission of guilt for any other purpose
- Jurisprudence – The study of law and the structure of the legal system
- Docket – A log containing the complete history of each case in the form of brief chronological entries summarizing the court proceedings
- Arraignment – A proceeding in which a criminal defendant is brought into court, told of the charges in an indictment or information, and asked to plead guilty or not guilty.
Legal transcription professionals working in transcription companies should go through intensive training in the field and use their knowledge to provide quality services. Good exposure in the industry would helps them interpret words accurately and within the specified turnaround time.
