How to become a Court Reporter or Simultaneous Captioner

Official title: Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners

Also called: Captioner, Certified Shorthand Reporter (CSR), Court Recorder, Court Reporter, Court Stenographer, Deposition Reporter, Digital Court Reporter, Official Court Reporter, Realtime Court Reporter, Stenographer

Use verbatim methods and equipment to capture, store, retrieve, and transcribe pretrial and trial proceedings or other information. Includes stenocaptioners who operate computerized stenographic captioning equipment to provide captions of live or prerecorded broadcasts for hearing-impaired viewers.

Main tasks

• Provide transcripts of proceedings upon request of judges, lawyers, or the public.
• Record symbols on computer storage media and use computer aided transcription to translate and display them as text.
• Record verbatim proceedings of courts, legislative assemblies, committee meetings, and other proceedings, using computerized recording equipment, electronic stenograph machines, or stenomasks.
• Record depositions and other proceedings for attorneys.
• Ask speakers to clarify inaudible statements.
• Proofread transcripts for correct spelling of words.
• File a legible transcript of records of a court case with the court clerk's office.
• Transcribe recorded proceedings in accordance with established formats.

How to become one

Many community colleges and technical institutes offer postsecondary certificate programs for court reporters and simultaneous captioners. These workers typically receive on-the-job training that varies by type of reporting or captioning. Many states require court reporters and simultaneous captioners who work in legal settings to have a state license or a certification from a professional association.

Typical education to start: Postsecondary nondegree award

Read the full guide from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Ways in

• Certificate or associate's degree: Postsecondary nondegree award. Programs such as Voice Writing Technology/Technician; Court Reporting and Captioning/Court Reporter; Court Interpreter
• Licence: A licence is required in 23 states.

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Median pay: $72,420 a year The middle half earn $53,760 to $100,780.
• About 19,900 people work in this job now, and about 19,900 are projected by 2035. (-0.1%)
• People already use generative AI for some of this work. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as medium.

Related jobs

• Interpreters and Translators
• Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys
• News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists
• Public Relations Specialists
• Editors
• Technical Writers

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Court Reporter or Simultaneous Captioner?

Many community colleges and technical institutes offer postsecondary certificate programs for court reporters and simultaneous captioners. These workers typically receive on-the-job training that varies by type of reporting or captioning. Many states require court reporters and simultaneous captioners who work in legal settings to have a state license or a certification from a professional association.

How much does a Court Reporter or Simultaneous Captioner earn in the US?

Median full-time pay is $72,420 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $53,760 to $100,780.

Is a Court Reporter or Simultaneous Captioner a growing career in the US?

Employment is projected to stay about the same by 2035: about 19,900 people now and 19,900 later (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Do you need a degree to become a Court Reporter or Simultaneous Captioner?

Not always. 27% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Postsecondary nondegree award.

Will AI change the work of a Court Reporter or Simultaneous Captioner?

People already use generative AI for some of this work. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as medium.

Sources

• Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook (2025-35 edition (published 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS); photographs excluded, retrieved 2026-10-03
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.