Registered Diplomate Reporter

What is a Registered Diplomate Reporter?
The title of Registered Diplomate Reporter (RDR) is a type of court reporting certification granted to a licensed and certified professional responsible for the transcription of speech into text taking place within a court hearing or trial. The act of transcribing legal proceedings from speech form into textual form is regarded as legal transcription.

The title of a Registered Diplomate Reporter is considered to be the most esteemed certification granted by the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA). As a result, the requirements latent within the achievement of a Registered Diplomate Reporter title are expansive in nature. Currently, the United States is home to almost 400 Registered Diplomate Reporters.
Registered Diplomate Reporter Eligibility
In order to become a Registered Diplomate Reporter, the individual candidate will be required to:
Be in possession of a Registered Merit Reporter certification. Individuals without this certification will not be considered.
Satisfy an examination demonstrating the candidate’s acumen with regard to Written Knowledge of Stenography.
The prospective candidate must have maintained at least 6 years of membership to the National Court Reporters Association prior to certification.
The prospective candidate for Registered Diplomate Reporter certification must be a current member of the National Court Reporters Association at the time of application.
Registered Diplomate Reporter and the NCRA
The National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) is primarily responsible for the oversight and regulation of Registered Diplomate Reporter certifications that are granted to individuals who desire to gain employment through a Court Reporter position. The NCRA began as an institution specializing in shorthand with regard to the provision of expedited and accurate transcription of proceedings both medical and legal in nature.
The NCRA teaches the methodology expressed in The Phrase Book of Pitmanic Shorthand with regard to the authorized transcription of legal and medical proceedings.
A Stenograph machine, also called a Stenotype, is a machine that resembles a traditional typewriter that is used by a Registered Diplomate Reporter for the purpose of legal transcription. In contrast to a traditional typewriter which utilizes a ‘QWERTY’ system including keys designated for individual lettering, a Stenotype utilizes 25 keys allowing a Registered Diplomate Reporter to transcribe common legal phrases and articles. ‘Chording’ is a methodology undertaken by Registered Diplomate Reporter allowing for the transcription of whole words and phrases.
Stenography undertaken through the utilization of voice recognition technology relies on the digital processing of the distinctive and specific nuances latent within the human speaking voice. An extensive regimen of proofreading and editing may be required by the Registered Diplomate Reporter administrating the transcription process in order to ensure the accuracy of this particular technology.
Registered Diplomate Reporter Academic Certification
In order to be awarded certification as a Registered Diplomate Reporter, also known as a ‘RDR’, will be required to satisfy the following academic requirements:
Registered Diplomate Reporter Written Knowledge Test
The Written Knowledge Test required by prospective Registered Diplomate Reporter is an examination used to gauge the skill of an individual stenographer student. The individual stenographer will be required to display the ability to produce transcription of events, proficiency in the operation of a stenograph machine, and a review of background knowledge and professional acumen.
The RDR Written Knowledge examination ranges between 100 and 110 questions. The prospective Registered Diplomate Reporter candidate will be required to complete the examination within 105 minutes.
A score of 70% or higher is necessary in order to receive a passing grade on the Registered Diplomate Reporter Examination.

NEXT: What is a Legal Transcription