job$ somebody's gotta do...
job$ somebody's gotta do is a tribute to the late Indianapolis broadcaster, Jim Gerard, and his 1960s radio feature, Sounds of the City, heard weekly on WFBM-AM. The host interviewed people with jobs that not many other people held, such as a jackhammer or crane operator, or, a language interpreter.
As a teenager, I was intrigued. The concept, the questions, the answers, it was all great stuff to me.
In today's world, Sounds of the City would be found on a podcast.
Just like its model from over 60 years ago, job$ somebody's gotta do, highlights men and women with unusual or unique jobs or careers.
Louisville, Kentucky's Eric Soergel has what would be considered by most people an unusual occupation. He is a freelance court reporter.
But, Mr. Soergel had a different career path in front of him after his bachelor's degree.
I went to U of L and majored in political science, he said. I started law school and lasted three weeks and dropped out. I hated it.
You said you had a lot going on at one time when you dropped out.
I did, he stated. Gave up law school and about three weeks into law school, I got married to my wife, Amy. Then, I went to court reporting school for a year and a half. We've got three grown children and I've been court reporting and raising kids for 40 years.
How did you choose court reporting as a career?
When I dropped out of law school, it was in the back of my mind that I could court report, he reminisced. When I was a junior in high school, I took my first typing class and I could type better than anyone else in class. Funny. My dad was a court reporter and I used to watch him and I thought, Gosh, that looks boring. I don't want to do that. Dad was a court reporter for almost 70 years.
What are some of the expectations or requirements for a court reporter?
You have to have grammar and punctuation down pat, he informed me. Then, you take what is basically a typing course and a shorthand course. The shorthand course is taken on a steno machine. You see people writing shorthand, but, this does it on a machine. The machine has been around for a hundred years and whoever invented it had to be brilliant.
(According to Britannica.com, Miles Bartholomew invented the Steno Machine in 1877. Shorthand? It was in the Roman Empire in 63BC that shorthand was first used. Marcus Tullius Tiro, a member of Cicero's household, invented the first shorthand system).
What is it like to use a steno machine?
Well, it doesn't have as many keys as a typewriter because you hit combinations to form other letters, he explained. There's a stroke for different phrases, a stroke for proper names.
Sounds complicated. Was it difficult to learn?
For some it was. You learn how to read it and what all the keys stand for, he continued. Also, you write real slow. You start at 60 words per minute, then 80. You pass the test for each level of 20 all the way to 225 words per minute, which is about the average rate of speech. You have to pass the test for 225 words per minute three times.
Does everyone pass or do they try again if they fail?
Sometimes, he said. Some kids took a year and a half and never passed the test.
Out of 10 who take the final test, how many will reach the ultimate prize?
One or two, if that, he replied.
In 40 years, how many steno machines have you worn out?
Probably anywhere from six to ten, he smiled. My first one cost 20 thousand dollars for the machine and software. I had to get a loan from my dad.
What about today. How much does a machine set you back?
$5,000, he said. To graduate from school whether online or what few brick and mortars remain would cost approximately what you pay now for a two year business associates degree at a community college.
You are a freelance court reporter, so, you don't sit in a courtroom like we see on TV. Who pays you?
I work directly with attorneys, Eric told me. I am considered pre-trial litigation support. I do pre-trial depositions. A deposition is the facts before a trial so the attorney can prepare for trial.
How long does a deposition usually take?
One deposition can last anywhere from five minutes to all day, he responded. A typical deposition goes from two hours to half a day.
Do you work every day?
I do, he affirmed. I've started to taper off a little because I am about six years from retirement, but, it's what I like about being freelance. I can make my own schedule.
Do you remember your first case or deposition?
Oh, boy, he chuckled. I was horrible. I was nervous and I was praying they didn't have me read anything back to them.
Have you ever heard anything while transcribing a deposition that made you laugh out loud while you were recording?
Here's one of my favorite war stories, he laughed. So, we've got this old crusty lawyer. I didn't know him as well as I would get to know him.
It was a divorce deposition, he went on. Those aren't done any more. Divorces are mediated now. This lawyer is sitting behind this metal desk and he's taking a lady's deposition. She's represented by her council.
We're going along and I was brand new, Eric emphasized. In school, they teach you to never look at your fingers. You're supposed to hold your head up and focus on something in front of you. Concentrate on words. That's all you're supposed to think about.
I'm violating that rule and I was staring at my fingers, he remembered. All of a sudden, there was a pause. The lawyer raised his hand up and smacked it down on that metal table as hard as he could. I jumped, my steno machine was bumped, paper went flying. He stood up, pointed at the woman and said in a loud voice, You see that court reporter over there? I'm paying him good money to copy your lies!
I would have embarrassed myself and laughed out loud.
I wasn't worth anything the rest of the deposition, he continued to laugh.
Are you allowed to say, Time Out, I need a break?
Oh, sure, he answered. I do that all the time.
Is it difficult to keep your concentration?
Only if there's something weird going on like a loud air conditioner or paper crinkling, or, a sidebar conversation. When those things happen, I speak up.
Have you ever sat in a courtroom and participated as a court reporter for a trial?
No, not since I was an intern when I was in school, he recalled. But, that's all going by the wayside. They are going to voice translation. I think I will make it for my six years, but, that's the way it's going.
What is voice translation?
Like on your phone when you dictate a text, he related. Only that's a single voice. They don't have multi-voice yet, but, it's coming.
Voice translation will eliminate the need for court reporters?
They will always have to have someone to certify the script. Even when it's voice translated, you have to read it, you have to proof read it, you've got to sign off on it, he ticked off. And the other thing is, you have to swear in a witness, put them under oath, and, you have to be a notary to do that. All pre-trial litigation is the same thing as being in court, but, there's no judge.
You said there were some unusual court reporting jobs too.
Yes. People who do sports court reporting make big bucks because they have to be able to transcribe 275 to 300 words per minute, he cited. Those are people who could be sitting at home watching a ballgame and they translate what the announcers say in what is called, Closed Caption. They could be in their living room or they could be courtside, it doesn't matter. All the technical stuff is pre-arranged.
Eric, I wish for you a pleasant six years.
I appreciate it, he concluded.
Coming up: another oddities, observations, & ?'s; a memories of POS, and; a Korean War veteran's memories.
And, finally. Perry Mason was a television lawyer played by actor Raymond Burr. The show aired from 1957 through 1966. It seems I never missed an episode, but, I'm sure that's not an accurate recollection. There were 271 shows over the nine year span.
Not only was Mr. Mason a trial lawyer, he usually solved each week's murder, swindle, or, other dastardly crime. It is amazing, but, true: in the nine year run of the show, Perry never lost a case. 271-0.
HUH? What's up with that?
Comments