Laws Hearing Guidelines
For an in-depth explanation of subjects below, please refer to your guidelines
manual. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1M0L4Ral93YTiRrqBMwrrzOENSltoFOIjpCDMhzYZo
_w/edit#
You MUST research all names, locations, businesses, and industry specific terminology (i.e., medical
jargon) and enter that information into the glossary.
Tips for a great transcript
-- Work in a quiet enviro
nment free of distractions and background noise.
-- Review the guidelines and take your time when you're doing a file.
-- Adjust the equalizer so you can hear the audio better.
-- Use a Chrome extension volume booster. We recommend this one: http://bit.ly/2TPh9fz
-- Slow down the speed in which they are talking if they are talking too fast for you.
-- Use headphones if you don't already (or better yet, ear buds) rather than the computer
speakers.
-- Never call or e-mail a client for any reason.
Finishing your file
It is imperative that you proofread your file after completion to ensure the highest level of
accuracy. Read through your file without the audio and see if it reads well. If a sentence doesn't
make sense, you may have something wrong in there. Take a listen to that sentence again and
see if any corrections are needed. It is also at this time that you may find misspellings and
punctuation mistakes.
Glossary
Glossary entries are shared between all transcribers working on parts of this file. That's why it is
imperative that you make corrections and additions as necessary.
When you are transcribing, any name, address, place, or non-standard term (legal, medical
jargon, etc.) should be added here.
Be sure to search for the term before adding it to the Glossary to avoid duplicating entries. If the
term is there, verify it is correct. If the link provided is not correct, fix the information for that term.
There are four options to explain how you have confirmed the spelling of this term: online, in
video/notes, phonetic, and spelled out. These are in priority order.
Remember to click “Save” to save your work to the glossary.
Comment Box vs Glossary
A comment is only used if a note needs to be left for another reviewer or supervisor who may see
the file or if a glossary box is not provided for a file. Do not use this area to highlight unfamiliar
terms or terms you couldn't find the spelling for.
Cleaning up speech
Verbit’s legal transcripts are verbatim, which means they are transcribed word-forword. Transcripts need to be true records of what was said. But legal transcription is a
compromise between accuracy and readability/comprehensibility. For this reason, legal
customers impose "clean up" rules:
What gets cleaned up and what doesn't:
When a witness is talking...
When it’s an attorney or court personnel...
Stutters - include all
Stutters - include all
Partial words - include all
Partial words - include all
False starts - include all
False starts - include all
Filler words - include all
Filler words - include all
Non-content sounds - never include
Non-content sounds - never include
If a speaker says "ain’t," you may write that as ain't. If a speaker says "y'all," you may write that
as y'all.
Use ONLY "uh-huh" for affirmative noises and "huh-uh" for negative noises.
Otherwise, please clean up slang for all speakers:
Heard
Typed
gonna
going to
'cause / 'cuz
because
'til
until
wanna
want to
Order of examination
Only these four exam lines will be used:
DIRECT EXAMINATION
CROSS-EXAMINATION
REDIRECT EXAMINATION
RECROSS-EXAMINATION
(repeat as many times as necessary)
(repeat as many times as necessary)
A judge asking a witness/defendant a series of questions should be in colloquy.
Speaker IDs
In colloquy, speakers are noted in all caps as:
BROTHER / SISTER / MOTHER OF VICTIM / [RELATION] OF VICTIM
CALLER
(for audio recording)
CORRECTIONS
FAMILY OF VICTIM
(if relation is unclear)
MR. LASTNAME
OPERATOR
(for audio recording)
PROBATION OFFICER
(no last name)
RECORDING
(for audio recording)
THE BAILFF
(says 'All rise.')
THE CLERK
THE COURT
THE COURT REPORTER
THE DEFENDANT
THE INTERPRETER
THE VICTIM
THE WITNESS
UNIDENTIFIED MALE 1, 2, etc.
TITLE: Used for exam lines and as the place holder speaker ID for text that nobody is physically
saying (i.e., marked exhibits).
PARAGRAPH: Used when starting a new paragraph by the same speaker.
If someone is asked to spell their name, you will transcribe it like this:
Q: Can you please spell your name for the record?
A: Sure. John Smith, J-O-H-N S-M-I-T-H.
Paragraphing
Please create short paragraphs in long sections of text. To do so, place your cursor in front of the
text you want to move, press enter to move that text to a new line, and use the speaker ID
PARAGRAPH
You should paragraph the text in the following situations:
When the speaker switches their attention and begins speaking to someone new.
When a new topic is being discussed.
When switching between talking about the past and the present.
Proceedings beginning / end
At the very beginning of the full proceeding, you should write the following phrase. The speaker
ID should be TITLE. Please be sure to follow the same capitalization and punctuation as seen
here below.
BE IT REMEMBERED that the following proceedings were had in the above-entitled
cause before the HONORABLE [JUDGE'S FIRST AND LAST NAME], Judge in the
Circuit Court, defendant being present, in Miami-Dade County, Florida, with appearances
as hereinabove noted, to-wit:
Then you should include the following parenthetical (also with the speaker ID of TITLE) directly
after on a new line, adding the correct time and either a.m. or p.m.:
(Thereupon, the following proceedings were heard at XX:XX a.m./p.m.)
TITLE
TITLE
THE COURT
BE IT REMEMBERED that the following proceedings were had in the aboveentitled cause before the HONORABLE SPENCER MULTACK, Judge in the
Circuit Court, defendant being present, in Miami-Dade County, Florida, with
appearances as hereinabove noted, to-wit:
(Thereupon, the following proceedings were heard at XX:XX a.m./p.m.)
All right. We are here today on case F12-3456.
Include anything related to the case mentioned on the documentation. When other cases are
heard in between, use the following parenthetical, adding the correct time and either a.m. or p.m.:
(Thereupon, other matters were heard at X:XX a.m./p.m.; after which, the following
proceedings were heard at X:XX a.m./p.m.)
All times can be found written on the last page of the order form (attached documentation).
Swearing In
to
There are multiple options for people or groups that can be sworn in. Please see below what
do in each of these cases:
The witness
The interpreter
The venire
The jury panel
Other court personnel, the parties, etc.
The witness
You will hear the court reporter or the clerk ask the witness "Do you solemnly swear to tell the
truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?" or something similar. You will then hear the
witness answer "yes" or " I do." You are to write the following INSTEAD of both the verbatim
swear in and the response:
TITLE
(Thereupon, NAME was sworn by the XX.)
Enter Clerk or Judge,
depending on who does the oath.
TITLE
THEREUPON,
CENTER
WITNESS NAME,
TITLE
being first duly sworn, was examined and testified as follows:
The first and the third of these lines should have the speaker ID of TITLE. Please replace
WITNESS NAME with the person's first and last name (in caps) and use the speaker ID of
CENTER.
The interpreter
If an interpreter is being sworn in, please use the following parenthetical:
TITLE
(Thereupon, NAME was sworn by the XX.) Enter Clerk or Judge
depending on who does the oath
TITLE
THEREUPON,
CENTER
INTERPRETER NAME,
TITLE
being first duly sworn, was ready to interpret as follows:
The first and the third of these lines should have the speaker ID of TITLE. Please replace
INTERPRETER NAME with the person's first and last name (in caps) and use the speaker ID of
CENTER.
Other court personnel
All other court personnel, including a bailiff or clerk, as well as the parties themselves, the
plaintiff(s) and defendant(s) may also be sworn in.
If any of these people or groups are sworn, there is no special parenthetical for it. Simply type out
the oath being administered and the response(s).
Interpreters
If the interpreter does a literal translation in the first person (speaking for the witness), then it is as
though the witness spoke themselves, and the speaker ID is A (or THE WITNESS if colloquy)
Q
A
What is your date of birth?
My birthday is October 15, 1978.
If the interpreter does a non-literal translation and uses the third person, then the speaker ID is
the interpreter.
MR. WALL
THE INTERPRETER
Ask her what her date of birth is.
She says October 15, 1978.
If the limited-English proficiency speaker (LEP) generally speaks in a foreign language, but they
answer in English at times, then do it this way.
Q
A
Do you understand and speak English?
Just a little (in English).
NOTE: If we have a witness without an interpreter answering some in English, some in a foreign
language, we use (inaudible) for any foreign words. Use the radio button on the upper lefthand of the platform to enter an inaudible. Do not type it in.
Spoken:
Q
A
Transcribed:
Did you work that day, Mr. Nunez?
I did pero it was raining, so not long that day.
Q
A
Did you work that day, Mr. Nunez?
I did (inaudible) it was raining, so not long that day.
Q&A and colloquy
In legal contexts, there are two kinds of speech: colloquy and Q&A. Please refer to the
Knowledge Base article on Q&A and colloquy or refer to your Verbit Standard Legal Guidelines
for a further explanation and examples. (https://verbit.happyfox.com/kb/article/57-differencebetween-q-a-and-colloquy/)
Questioning attorney + witness = Q&A
Questioning attorney and/or witness + anyone else = colloquy
Parentheticals
A parenthetical is an event description. It tells the reader what went on but was not necessarily
stated in a clear and concise manner. It is a word or a few words enclosed in parentheses that
describes what happened or what was done (i.e., OFF THE RECORD).
Marking exhibits
In a hearing, there are two options for marking exhibits: marking for identification and admitting
into evidence. The main difference is that any lawyer can ask to mark something for identification
and you put the parenthetical there while ONLY the judge (or the clerk acting on the judge's
authority) has the authority to admit something into the record.
When a lawyer wishes to mark an exhibit for identification for the record, they will say so and you
will need to include a parenthetical to show this. If they mark multiple exhibits, you can mark
them together. The parenthetical should be on its own line and it should always be directly after
the lawyer has asked to mark it. The speaker ID for this parenthetical should be TITLE.
Please use one of the following parentheticals, as appropriate:
TITLE (Thereupon, the State’s Exhibit # was marked as evidence.)
TITLE (Thereupon, the Defense’s Exhibit # was marked as evidence.)
TITLE (Thereupon, the State’s Exhibits # - # were marked as evidence.)
TITLE (Thereupon, the Defense’s Exhibits # - # were marked as evidence.)
If they mark multiple exhibits, you can mark them together. The parenthetical should be on its
own line, and it should always be directly after the lawyer has asked to mark it. The speaker ID
for this parenthetical should be TITLE.
When a lawyer requests an exhibit to be admitted into the record and after the judge agrees,
you will need to include a parenthetical to show this. If the clerk comments after the judge agrees
and says something like, "State's 1 is now in evidence." Put the "admitted"
parenthetical AFTER both the judge and the clerk speak.
Please use one of the following parentheticals, as appropriate:
TITLE (Thereupon, the State’s Exhibits # - # were admitted into evidence.)
TITLE (Thereupon, the State’s Exhibit # was admitted into evidence.)
TITLE (Thereupon, the Defense’s Exhibit # - # were admitted into evidence.)
TITLE (Thereupon, the Defense’s Exhibit # was admitted into evidence.)
Sidebar
In a hearing, lawyers will occasionally ask to approach the bench or the bar to discuss legal
matters with the judge out of earshot of the jury. This is called a sidebar. When this occurs,
please use the following parentheticals to mark the beginning and end of the sidebar. The
parentheticals should be on their own line with the speaker ID of TITLE. You will transcribe what
you hear in the sidebar in colloquy.
TITLE
TITLE
(Thereupon, the following sidebar discussion was held on the record.)
(Thereupon, the sidebar discussion concluded.)
If the sidebar occurs and is announced to be off the record, use the following parenthetical:
TITLE
(Thereupon, the sidebar discussion was held off record.)
Witness actions
If the witness does something that the lawyer asks them to do like look at a document, please use
the following parenthetical in the body of the transcript.
Q
questions.
A
Sarah, I want you to look over the is document and then I'll ask you a few
(Witness complies.) Okay, I'm all done.
When both the State's and defense's lawyers are finished examining a witness, the judge will ask
that person to step down and excuse them. Please use the following parenthetical (speaker ID =
TITLE).
TITLE
(Witness excused.)
Off the record
If the lawyers or the judge ask to go on a short break, use the following parenthetical:
(Thereupon, a break was held at XX:XX a.m./p.m.; after which, the following proceedings
were heard at XX:XX a.m./p.m.)
Please remember that all time stamps will either be announced on the record or can be found on
the last page of the order form (attached documentation in the notes).
If the judge announces that the court is recessed (for lunch or other lengthy breaks), use the
following parenthetical:
(Thereupon, the Court went to recess at XX:XX a.m./p.m.)
If they resume in the same file, please use this parenthetical instead:
(Thereupon, the Court went to recess at XX:XX a.m./p.m.; after which, the following
proceedings were heard at XX:XX a.m./p.m.)
If a different case other than one listed in the documentation is taking place, do NOT transcribe it,
Instead, use the following parenthetical to show when the relevant case was paused and then
resumed.
(Thereupon, other matters were heard at X:XX a.m./p.m.; after which, the following
proceedings were heard at X:XX a.m./p.m.)
All times can be found written on the last page of the order form (attached documentation).
Certified questions/objections
When an attorney asks to certify a question or objection, mark a parenthetical just above the
question or objection. Sometimes they will later ask to mark a previous question or objection, so
you will have to go back and insert it.
Q
A
TITLE
Q
A
why you’d ask me that question.
MR. SMITH
It sounds like the business stayed afloat.
It did okay, I guess.
(CERTIFIED QUESTION)
Did your parents loan you money for the business?
I don’t want to get my parents involved. I don’t even know
Court Reporter, can I certify that last question, please?
THE COURT REPORTER
MR. SMITH
Sure thing.
Thanks.
A certified objection is done the same way using (CERTIFIED OBJECTION). Be sure to do it the same
as above and include the question that was objected to.
Media being played
If an audio or video recording is being played, use the following parenthetical. The speaker ID
should be TITLE.
TITLE (Audio playing.)
TITLE (Audio concludes.)
TITLE (Video playing.)
TITLE (Video concludes.)
Please note: You use the parenthetical to indicate the beginning and end of the audio. This is
NOT instead of it. You must transcribe the audio or video played to the best of your ability.
MR. JONES
Your Honor, I'm going to play the ten-second clip from the 911
THE COURT
TITLE
RECORDING
OPERATOR
Go ahead.
(Audio playing.)
June 1, 2013. 09:15:23
Dade County Police and Fire. What's the address of
emergency?
1234 Main Street. Please hurry. Someone's been stabbed.
(Audio concludes.)
call.
the
CALLER
TITLE
Redactions
You will always redact a minor's (child under the age of 18) name to their full initials.
To redact a minor's name, use their initials and separate them with periods. If the minor's name
is Mary Smith, then every time the lawyer says Mary Smith or Mary in the audio, write M.S. (no
space).
Do not redact Social or birthday or anything else UNLESS upon a lawyer’s verbal request on the
record.
If they do request it, redact using X's.
To redact a Social Security number, please use the following format: XXX-XX-XXXX.
If they ask to redact all but the last four, keep it XXX-XX-1234
To redact a birthday, please use the following format: XX-XX-XXXX.
PLEASE NOTE: If a lawyer says something and then says "strike that," write what was
said,
including “strike that.” That does not count as a redaction request.
Case citations
If an attorney gives a case citation on the record, they will often provide the case name (“Smith v
Smith,” for example) followed by the reporter volume number, reporter abbreviation, and either
the first page of the case or a pinpoint page number. This is a case citation.
Please refer to the Knowledge Base article on case citations or refer to your Verbit Standard
Legal Guidelines for a further explanation and
examples. (https://verbit.happyfox.com/kb/article/56-how-to-write-a-case-citation/)
Inaudible / phonetic / No verbal response
If you absolutely cannot hear or understand a word, please mark it (inaudible) using the
inaudible button at the top of your screen or CTRL + i.
If you hear a word or name but you cannot confirm the spelling, then please mark
it (phonetic). You only need to mark the first instance of the unknown word with (phonetic). This
is a last resort and should be used sparingly.
** Before you mark something phonetic, spend a minute Googling it or looking at the notes.
If a speaker is asked a question but does not answer out loud, mark their lack of a verbal
response with (No audible response.)
Sic / sound effect / noise interruptions
Do not use [sic] very often. Do not use [sic] for common made-up words (like thingy or
guesstimate) or poor grammar (“We was headed east.”). Use it when you are fairly sure, based
on context, that the speaker has used the wrong word. Note that [sic] is enclosed in brackets [ ],
not parentheses ( ).
Only use [sic] on the first occurrence of a word. If, however, they pronounce the same word
completely incorrectly a second way, that will also get a [sic] on the first occurrence.
Do not use [sic] if something is mispronounced and is immediately corrected.
Noises
In general, we do not include noises in the transcript. If a speaker coughs and the cough is
acknowledged, use (coughs). If any person other than the person who made the bodily noise
acknowledges it, you must put in a notation.
For this example, the witness sneezed, no one said anything:
A
I was driving home when -- oh, excuse me -- I stopped on the shoulder of the
road to make a phone call.
In this example, someone acknowledges it:
A
Q
I was driving home when -- (sneezes).
Oh, God bless you!
A
-- I stopped -- thank you. Anyway, that's when I stopped on the shoulder to make
a phone call.
Below is a list of common notations:
(sneezes)
(coughs)
(phone rings)
(sound effect) Used for situations where words don't translate the noise. For example,
the sound made when slapping a table or someone makes squealing brake noises.
If, however, there is a phone ringing or a door slams, anything like that, if any person
acknowledges it, it gets included.
Q
Can you give us a brief job description?
A
Sure. As the director of nursing, I'm responsible for -- (door slams). Oh,
wow. That really scared me.
Q
Yeah, me too. That'll wake you up.
Do not put in a notation for laughter, whispers, or cross talk.
Numbers / times / miscellaneous
There are two kinds of numbers: identifiers and quantifiers.
Identifiers are always in digits. Identifiers are numbers which answer the question "which one?”
are always in digits. (For example: Which page? Page 5. Which exhibit? Exhibit 3)
If the noun occurs before the number, it's a identifier: Page (noun) 5 (number)
Here's another explanation: Identifiers are numbers that specifically identify what/who is being
discussed. (For example: Page 2, Exhibit 6, Victim 1, Vehicle 3). These numbers can not be
changed to other numbers without causing confusion. They can, however, be replaced with
specific names or labels. (For example: Victim 1 is John Doe. Vehicle 3 is the 2008 red Ford
truck.)
Quantifiers are always in words. Quantifiers are numbers which answer the question "how
many/how much?" The rules for quantifiers are below. (How many kids? Eight kids. How many
minutes ago? 30 minutes)
If the noun occurs after the number, it's a quantifier: Eight (number) kids (noun)
Again, another explanation: Quantifiers are numbers that provide an amount of something or a
number that can be changed without causing confusion. (For example: Five kids, three rules, two
hours, etc.)
Quantifiers: Numbers zero through ten should be written out in words. Anything 11 and up is in
digits, including at the beginning of a sentence.
List numbers or enumerations are spelled out:
DO:
So rule number one is don't talk when I'm talking.
DON'T: So rule number 1 is don’t talk when I’m talking.
Times are written out X:XX, so 5:00 and not 5. You can include a.m. or p.m. if they say it, but do
not write "o'clock" even if they speak the words.
Dates are written using slashes, not dashes (10/3/98)
If someone says "versus," write versus. If someone says "verse," write verse. If they reference a
case citation (not the current case), use v. (v followed by a period).
Do not use a dash to indicate ranges. If they say, "nine to five," it should be 9:00 to 5:00.
Roman numerals are used for count numbers. A count is an element of a crime someone is
charged with. One crime can have multiple counts. For example, if someone was in a bar fight
and injured four people, they could have a count of assault for each person injured.
Counts II and III will be combined with Counts VII and X, and the rest will be nol prossed.
Write dates as they are spoken. If the person uses the ordinal, you can write it.
Phone numbers are formatted 123-456-7890.
Punctuation rules
~~ Please refer to your guidelines for an in-depth explanation of Verbit's punctuation
conventions. ~~
Double Dashes
If a speaking party is interrupted by another speaker, use double dashes (--) to indicate that the
sentence was interrupted. There are three instances in which double dashes are used:
When a line of thought shifts mid-sentence.
When a speaker repeats themself (aka stutters but follow clean-up rules)
When a speaker’s sentence is interrupted by another speaker.
There is one space before and after the double dash (friend -- ).
If the interrupted sentence is continued, start the speaker's next line with double dashes
(Q -- friend).
After using a double dash, do not capitalize the word that follows it or use punctuation before or
after the double dash.
Do not end sentences with "so" or "or". Use a double dash to show that it trails off.
Put a comma after "so" at the beginning of a sentence.
Counts are capitalized. Count I, Count II, Count III
Separate objection and the type of objection using a comma (MR. SMITH
Objection, leading.)
Use a comma before the word "so" if "so" means therefore. If "so" means "so that" or explains
the first part of the clause, it will not have a comma before it.
Tag questions
Tag questions are questions that are tagged on the end of a statement to check the veracity or
confirm that statement. They do not ask about new material.
For tag questions of one or two words, use a comma.
For tag questions of three words, use a semicolon.
For tag questions of four words or more, use a period.
This is your car, right?
This is your car, isn't it?
This is your car; is that correct?
This is your car. Is that a fair assumption?
Capitalization
Do not capitalize "case" in case number.
Cap Juror Number, Seat Number, and other similar words that come before identifying numbers.
Capitalize brand name drugs. Generic drug names should not be capitalized. Research to find
out which one it is.
Some common generic: aspirin, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, codeine, hydrocodone.
Brand name examples: Advil, Tylenol, Vicodin, OxyContin, Z-PAK, Percocet, Xanax,
Valium.
Capitalize Plaintiff, the Defendant, State
Capitalize "Your Honor" always.
Capitalize Court when it refers to the judge. Do not capitalize it when it refers to the
physical
courtroom.
Capitalize Count when referring to Counts I, II, etc.
Abbreviations, symbols, and acronyms
Spell out all words as spoken on the record, including fractions and symbols.
Street, Boulevard, Avenue, Way, Saint, Ford, northeast, southeast, Junior, Senior,
percent, number, three-fourths, one-third, milligram, miles per hour, et cetera, pounds
Clean Read With Audio Tags
This file requires clean read transcription.
Clean read means cutting out the following from the text:
Stutters - I, I, I love you.
Unnecessary filler words - I, you know, love you.
Partial words - I lo- love you.
False starts - I love- like you.
Mistakes that change the meaning of a sentence (i.e. their instead of there) must be avoided.
Contractions: If a speaker says “cannot,” do not change it to “can't.”
If a speaker says “don't,” do not change it to “do not.”
Special Rules:


"And" and "So" can be used to start a sentence
o Ex: And I want to discuss the next topic...
o Ex: So I want to discuss the next topic...
Use % and currency symbols
o 99.4%
o 0.7%
o $400 million
o $0.07
In addition, make sure each speaker is separated with >> signifying speaker change.
Add >> once even if there is just 1 speaker.
Example 1:
Incorrect:
Hey everyone, welcome back. My name is Andy and I'm your host for
tonight. With me is Jane.
Hi everyone, my name's Jane, and I'll be your new co-host.
Correct:
>> Hey, everyone. Welcome back. My name is Andy and I'm your host
for tonight. With me is Jane.
>> Hi, everyone. My name's Jane, and I'll be your new co-host.
Use the following audio tags - through keyboard shortcuts - to denote the following audio
events:
Audio tag
Shortcut
Comments
[INAUDIBLE]
[MUSIC]
Music starts here
Audio tag
Shortcut
Comments
[LAUGHTER]
[NOISE]
Vocalizations that cannot be transcribed (such as screaming) and spontaneous noise events
[APPLAUSE]
[FOREIGN]
Foreign language
[OVERLAPPING]
Transcribe only your best judgment of foreground speaker
[BACKGROUND]
Example:
If the audio was recorded as follows:
So, uh yeah, that was awesome.
I-I-I know right?
Pretty, uh, you know, amazing stuff here.
Ho-honestly I don't, I didn't even, like, expect a co-comeback like
this.
He is umm, like, literaly the best villian, uh, in the series.
Clean read transcription would look like:
>> So that was awesome.
>> I know, right?
Pretty amazing stuff here.
Honestly, I didn't even expect a comeback like this.
He's the best villian in the series.
Click here to read the generic guidelines
I have read and understood the guidelines
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