Speech To Text Reporter (STTR) Top Tips

The STTR should take a five to ten minute break every hour to hour and a half in order to prevent any injury to the STTR and to give the user eye breaks. However, if due to the nature of the job breaks are not able to be built in, then consideration should be made to booking two STTRs for the assignment. The STTR is neutral in any proceedings. The STTR should decline any invitation or suggestion to comment, interject, advise, respond to, or in any way become involved in the proceedings outside the role of the STTR. If necessary, the STTR should politely explain the necessity to stay "in role."

The STTR may be asked to step out of the role to answer questions about the service or to demonstrate equipment during a break. Deviations from the role should be the exception, with the approval of the user. The STTR should be perfectly willing to explain what it is the STTR does. However it should be remembered this usually occurs during break time, and therefore the STTR may prefer to defer questions until the end of the STT assignment.

It is not the primary role of the STTR to produce a hard copy transcript of a STT assignment. Any party seeking to obtain such a transcript will, in the first instance, need to obtain the consent of the STTR. All hard copy transcripts of STT assignments must include the following disclaimer: "this transcript was provided originally as communication support for a deafened reader. It should not be regarded as a fully checked and verified verbatim record; it has no legal standing."

The STTR must exercise discretion in situations that may warrant interrupting the proceedings in order to ensure the integrity of the STT transcription; for example, when more than one person is speaking at a time. Care should be taken not to call undue attention to the consumer or the provision of STT services.

The STTR should discuss with the customer/principal his or her role and what adjustments may have to be made to the proceedings to facilitate the smooth running of the service, e.g. breaks, where to sit, before proceedings begin. For this reason, the STTR should ensure that he or she arrives in good time.

The STTR should make every reasonable effort to accommodate the consumer’s individual requirements within the definitions of the STTR’s role, (as set out in The Role of the STTR by STTR Advisory committee, 24th February 2003 available on request).