Fruitfully Alive

A Guide to Freedom through Freelancing

HomeAboutContactIn Memoriam
  • START HERE
  • Self-Employment
    • Self-Employment Interview Series
    • Freelancing Tips
  • Productivity
    • Hacks
    • Find Your Planner
    • Bullet Journal Gallery
  • Tools
    • Software & Systems

Top 12 FAQs About Proofreading for Court Reporters

This post may contain affiliate links.

By Adrienne 14 Comments

proofreading | make money | self-employment | entrepreneur | business | work from home | proofread and get paid | and get paid

This is a companion post to my in-depth review of the proofreading for court reporters niche and the course that taught me how to do it.

1. Is the market saturated with proofreaders? 

MYTH. 

And here’s why:

Right now there’s a shortage of court reporters in the US.

What does that mean?

First let me tell you how a random court reporter might spend their week:

They go into work Monday and Tuesday to take down the proceedings going on that day.

They do not go into work on Wednesday so that they can edit what they took down on Monday and Tuesday or last week.

They go back in on Thursday and take Friday off to edit again.

So now there’s a shortage. What does that mean?

It means that on Wednesday and Friday, the court can’t spare that reporter.

That reporter has to come in to work to take down proceedings.

No time to edit and proofread their work.

So what do they do?

The reporters hire scopists and they hire us.

It is actually more profitable for them to just hire us and go to work rather than take the day off to edit on their own.

So a shortage of reporters means a higher demand for proofreaders and scopists.

But the question then becomes, “Okay, I see how there’s a higher demand for proofreaders, but are there enough proofreaders in the market already to meet the higher demand?”

No.

There are thousands of court reporters in the US.

There are not thousands of court transcript proofreaders in the US.

Why is that?

Because proofreading transcripts for court reporters is not an easy job. Not a lot of people do it. You’re in the clear. Go forth!

2. Have you had a hard time getting clients? 

No.

In my experience, court reporters want proofreaders, and it’s not hard to get clients.

I teach my students exactly how to get clients step by step.

3. How long did it take you to find clients?

The first court reporter I pitched to became my first client and is with me to this day.

I found my second client within a week of pitching to my first.

For some people, it happens fast. For others, it may take longer.

I polled the graduates, and the majority said they found their first client within the first month of beginning the search. The second largest group said they found their first client within the first two weeks of beginning the search.

4. Is proofreading for court reporters a flexible job?

Yes and no-ish.

Yes Reason #1:

To proofread, you need an iPad and an Internet connection.

That means you can proofread anywhere.

I proofread in my car while waiting to pick my little brother up from school.

I proofread on planes.

I’ve even proofread in the bathroom (TMI, sorry, not sorry.)

Yes Reason #2:

Standard turnaround time for a transcript is two days. In other words, you receive a transcript and the reporter expects it back two days later.

So when your friends say, “Wanna grab lunch?” Your answer *won’t necessarily be, “I have work.”

Two days means you can be flexible with your work hours. You can decide when you’ll proofread the transcript.

*No Reason #1

There are expedited transcripts you don’t want to say no to.

Expedited transcripts mean the reporter sends you the transcript and wants it back ASAP.

Those are “dear” transcripts: Drop Everything And Read.

But they’re dear for two other reasons:

  • Your rate goes up. You make more money per hour reading an expedited transcript than a standard.
  • Your relationship with your client is strengthened. You helped them out in a big way. They were in a bind, and you were available when they needed you. There’s a stronger sense of you and your client being a team.

So, in that sense, the job isn’t flexible.

Although you do have the flexibility to decline the transcript, I don’t recommend it unless you really cannot.

And if you have a strong relationship with your client, it’ll be no biggie.

Discover if the freelancer life is right for you! 

Watch my 30-minute masterclass to find out if you're a freelancer or an entrepreneur!

No sales pitch, just awesome content!

5. Will a course ensure my success as a court transcript proofreader?

Yes and no.

I say yes because I firmly believe if you implement everything you learn, you will be successful.

But notice I said the word “you” three times.

Success depends on you. You need to put in the time; you need to put in the effort; you need to be consistent; you need to be good.

A good course can teach you everything you need to know, but only you can put that newly gained knowledge into practice and reap the rewards.

6. Do I need to have an English degree to be a successful proofreader?

Nope. I have a degree in acting. 😊

But you do need to be competent with grammar and punctuation. And you need a course to  teach you certain specific-to-transcript rules and teach you everything else you need to know, but you do need to have a good grasp on the basics.

Some of the grammar rules are different than the ones used in day-to-day life. All you have to do is learn them.

That’s why even if you have an English degree, you still need to take the course.

There are certain rules to the transcript itself that have to be followed and you have to be familiar with them and they have nothing to do with grammar and punctuation.

And you need to like reading because that’s what you’ll be doing, my friend.

7. I don’t live in the USA. Can I still be a transcript proofreader?

Sure! The beauty of proofreading for court reporters is it’s all remote.

I have never met a single one of my clients and my clients live all over the US.

The time difference can be a challenge, but it also might be helpful.

Sometimes a court reporter might need you to work really late into the night to help them meet an emergency deadline; that might just be something like noon for you because of the time difference.

So it has its ups and downs but it’s definitely doable.

I know a proofreader who lives in Taiwan and another who proofreads in England!

8. You said you made $32,000 part time. Can you define “part time”?

No more than 20 hours a week.

9. What is the hardest part of the job?

That’s a subjective question; the answer will differ depending on the proofreader.

For me, having the discipline to not rush through a boring transcript. I have to fight the temptation to skim or breeze through it. Must resist!!!

Also, daydreaming in a boring transcript.

It’s easy to let your mind wander while your eyes keep moving through the page.

Don’t let that happen. You WILL miss things.

Take a break and come back to it.

10. How long did it take you to obtain the skill set of court transcript proofreading?

It took me about 2.5 months.

I think I was putting in an hour or two a day.

No more than 10 hours a week.

11. Are you still marketing yourself? How much time do you spend marketing?

I don’t spend any time marketing.

I have all the clients I can handle for now, and I get new ones when my existing clients refer me to their friends.

In fact, I’ve been sending clients to other proofreaders I’m friends with because I have all I can handle and can’t take on any more.

12. Do you get better at catching errors with practice?

YES.

You’ll develop a kind of instinct for it, but you do need to be paying attention.

Also, you will come to know the errors your clients usually make.

I have one client who ALWAYS forgets the if/then comma:

“If I had tried to call the police he would have killed me.”

VS

“If I had tried to call the police, he would have killed me.”

So I read the word “if” in the sentence and I already know I’m gonna have to put a comma in whatever comes next, hahahaha.

So familiarity with your client also makes you better.

 

Did I miss anything? Let me know in the comments!

Save

Discover if the freelancer life is right for you! 

Watch my 30-minute masterclass to find out if you're a freelancer or an entrepreneur!

No sales pitch, just awesome content!

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: Self-Employment, Self-Employment Interview Series

Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Jillian Murillo says

    June 16, 2017 at 7:19 am

    Hello! I am starting school and once I get into my program it will be 8-5 school with clinical included somewhere in there! So I am really needing flexible work. Do you think this job is possible to do while attending school? Do you file taxes every year? How does it work regarding taxes?

    Reply
    • Adrienne says

      June 28, 2017 at 2:42 pm

      I did this while in school full time. It is possible, but be prepared to work! I file taxes four times a year because I’m self-employed. 🙂

      Reply
  2. Ashley says

    September 5, 2017 at 4:38 pm

    Hello! How much is the course after you take the free introductory course?

    Thanks!

    Reply
  3. Allan McIver says

    September 13, 2017 at 3:45 pm

    Hello Adrienne.

    Thank you for your informative comments on the Court Transcript Reporting career.

    I am looking for a Part-time activity and this could well fit my skills, time and interest.

    I live in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, a city with a population in excess of 1,ooo,ooo known as a Hockey crazed centre.

    I feel that our Court Reporters faced the same situations you expressed in your blog As well, our Courts are months behind, to the point where cases have been dismissed because of time delays. These concerns, are indeed, Global.

    I want do some research regarding the market in Edmonton and Northern Alberta for these types of services. Upon satisfactory completion I will register for the Proofread Anywhere course you recommend.

    I appreciate your interest in the future of others.

    My very best.
    Allan McIver

    Reply
  4. Brandy M says

    March 30, 2018 at 9:44 pm

    Thank you for clearing up a few things I was wondering about. Caitlyn is super thorough on her site, but it’s good to read someone else’s take on what it’s like to proofread for court reporters. I’m thinking of launching into the course…we’ll see!

    Reply
  5. Nancy York says

    October 17, 2018 at 8:43 pm

    How much is the class after the free class. I am very interested

    Reply
    • Adrienne says

      October 18, 2018 at 12:43 pm

      Hi Nancy. That depends on whether you’re paying in full or which module you’re on if you’re paying by module. You can click through to the site through the links in the post. Best of luck!

      Reply
  6. Amy Winters says

    October 23, 2018 at 3:09 pm

    It’s interesting that due to the shortage of court reporters, they’ll hire scopists and proofreaders who have the time to proofread and edit the report. I didn’t know about the court reporter shortage, but I’m glad you hear that they’re maintaining accuracy by hiring specialists for proofreading and editing. I learned a lot about the court reporting and proofreading processes, so thanks for sharing this article!

    Reply
  7. Nima says

    January 16, 2019 at 2:33 pm

    Hi, thanks for detailing your experience here. I have take the General Proofreading course, and am currently looking for clients. Could you tell us how you went about getting your first court reporter client? Did you apply online, or did you do it through friends and family? Thank you in advance for any help in this regard.

    Reply
  8. Stephanie says

    February 5, 2019 at 1:18 pm

    Hello! Is the content of this blog still accurate?

    Do you need to take the general proofreading course prior to taking the legal proofreading course?

    And in Caitlin’s WAHS the first two modules are included. Neither one of those containS the nuts and bolts of grammar or anything beginning to resemble marketing. Do you know how much these are if bought separately?

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Adrienne says

      February 6, 2019 at 9:29 am

      Hi Stephanie,

      Yes, everything is still accurate. 🙂

      No, you don’t need to. GP is for those who want to be general proofreaders, and the transcript proofreading course is specifically for those who want to proofread court transcripts.

      It depends if you buy the rest of the course all at once or buy it in pieces. All the info is on the site. Good luck!

      Reply
  9. Daniel says

    May 8, 2020 at 9:17 am

    Hello Adrienne.

    I’m just curious if you’ve been able to continue your business of proofreading court transcripts during the pandemic. I’m very interested in starting down this path myself and was just interested what your thoughts were on the current climate of the industry.

    Also, do you see things getting back to normal once restrictions are lifted? I ask that question in regards to the demand there will be for court transcript proofreaders as we return to a normal pace of life.

    Thank you for your thoughts!

    Reply
  10. Tometta says

    October 21, 2020 at 8:27 am

    Do you currently teach a course?

    Reply
    • Adrienne says

      October 21, 2020 at 12:30 pm

      Yes, and I have a coaching program. Email me for more info! adrienne@fruitfullyalive.com

      Reply

Most Popular Posts:

freelancer | writing | designer | get started | tips | business | editing | marketing | freelance lifestyle | entrepreneur lifestyle | entrepreneur inspiration | female entrepreneur |

How I Made $32,000 as a Part-Time Court Transcript Proofreader (And You Can Too)

Fruitfully Alive

Online Freelancing: Is It Right for You?

Fruitfully Alive

How to Create a Business Plan as an Online Freelancer

archives

categories

search

Copyright ©2021, Fruitfully Alive. All Rights Reserved. Site by Pixel Me Designs