November 18, 2009
Realtime on the Road Part VI by Lisa Knight
Your flights were on time, you made all your connections, and you have arrived at your destination. Even though your luggage was there to meet you at the baggage carousel, you carried all of your court reporting equipment and peripherals with you on the flight so you had no concern whatsoever you could cover the job – and you get to wear that “power suit” the very first day, just as you planned!
Upon arrival, the first thing I do is obtain local currency from an ATM at the airport. (You may find some taxis do not take credit cards.) After I check into the hotel, I contact the videographer and counsel (typically by e-mail) to alert them of my arrival. I also confirm the date, time, and location of the deposition. If possible, I try and do any setup the day before the deposition. Surprises are nice for birthdays and Christmas but not for a technical realtime deposition in a foreign country.
I like to know where I will be going and how long it will take me to arrive, whether by taxi, subway, or walking, so I always go to the location of the deposition and take note of the time it takes to get there. (In cities such as London, it can be much faster as well as more economical to take the Tube or walk than it is to take a taxi.)
Setting up the deposition in a foreign country is much like setting up here in the US. The only surprise you might encounter is lack of electrical outlets and/or lack of internet access. (That’s why you brought your power strip!) If you’re using CaseViewNet as your realtime output, all you need to do is quickly and easily plug in your router and you’re ready to go! If you are using Bridge, LiveNote, or other realtime software, the cables and multi-line block or wireless StenoCast peripherals you brought with you will do the job quite nicely!
Because you’re the first person there (hopefully with the videographer), you can choose the room configuration and make counsel’s setup seamless! All they will have to do is plug their computer into your power strip, sign into your network (or plug in a cable or USB adapter), and you’re good to go!
When your deposition is being interpreted, it can create a few challenges. It is ideal for the main interpreter to sit next to counsel asking the questions and across from the deponent. (The videographer can get a better “shot” of the deponent, and you alleviate any potential problems of the witness speaking with the interpreter in a colloquial manner regarding interpretation or the witness looking at the computer screen and seeing the realtime feed.) The tricky part comes in when there is a check interpreter and a check-check interpreter.
Sometimes opposing counsel wants the check interpreter sitting next them; sometimes the check interpreters like to sit next to the main interpreter so they can converse about interpretation “issues” without muddying the waters with colloquy on the record in a different language. And by the time you have a check interpreter sitting next to the main interpreter and the check-check interpreter sitting next to the check interpreter, you are four people away from the attorney asking the questions! (Whew! That was a mouthful!)
Is there a perfect way to set up the room? I haven’t found one yet. One thing is for sure, I always ensure I am able to hear the proceedings (whether with the aid of headphones or not) and perform my job flawlessly.
There are definite benefits to using the realtime transcript viewer software associated with your specific CAT vendor. On a personal note, I use CaseViewNet. In every deposition I have had where counsel had a choice, 100 percent of the time they choose to use CaseViewNet over any other software because of the simplicity of receiving the realtime feed (all through a network).
Client computers receive the entire transcript, even if they arrive late. “RapidRefresh” instantly updates all edits, including globals, on clients’ computers so your realtime will look better than ever! I eliminated cables, splitters, adapters, and all the time it takes to connect them! Oh, yeah, and did I mention, the software for counsel is absolutely free? It’s definitely worth your while to check out your vendor’s realtime transcript viewer software!
Here are some things to consider when you find, for whatever reason, your realtime feed is not working the way it should. It may sound elementary but the order in which you set up can be critical. If you are using LiveNote Stream, you must sign in and run this program first before you ever open up a realtime file on your CAT software. If you have software programs automatically loading in the background of your computer, such as Skype, it may affect connectivity and your realtime may not work.
When going out on an assignment where no depositions have been taken yet (so you do not have a wordlist or even a copy of the Complaint), you can start doing some “detective work” on your own before you set foot on the airplane. Whether it’s a technical pharmaceutical case or securities litigation with a lot of proper names, you can always find some information regarding large cases you might be going out on. Without a doubt, this work you put in ahead of time will set you apart from other reporters. Your realtime translation will be practically perfect and counsel will notice. Create a job dictionary and use your CAT software to your full advantage. “Brief It” is a new Case CATalyst function that is invaluable! I’m sure other reporting software have similar improvements that make writing realtime a bit easier (or at least a little more fun).
I’d love to give you some top-secret realtime tip that will make your translation perfect every single time without a lot of extra work but nothing is better than being prepared, knowing the ins and outs of your software, and mastering the hardware setup. There will always be new and different issues that may arise, but nothing helps more than a sense of humor and a taste for adventure to take your “realtime on the road.”
This marks the end of the Realtime on the Road series. If you’d like to hear more, please let me know what topics you’re interested in by commenting on this article. I look forward to hearing your thoughts and comments.