Amanda Marvin, RPR, CRC, from Tomahawk, Wis., won the drawing for a Kindle Fire 8 by renewing her membership in October. A new professional, Marvin graduated from court reporting school in 2015 and has been working as a captioner for nine months, currently doing remote CART work “for several different college classes including biology, statistics, psychology, criminal justice, and commercial irrigation.”
“CART captioning was always my ultimate goal, and I am so happy that with the help of the Certified Realtime Captioner certification, I was able to start my career helping others and doing what I wanted to do,” she says. “I continue my membership in NCRA because it has given me a big advantage in employment for companies who hire captioners. They consider the certification as a standard of professionalism and proof of the skills needed to do a quality job.”
The JCR reached out to Marvin with eight questions to get to know her a little better.
- What is your favorite thing about doing remote captioning?
My favorite thing about doing remote captioning is the fact that I can stay at home and have a flexible schedule that allows me to get my kids to school and their after-school activities.
- What is the most interesting thing you’ve learned while captioning for college classes?
I have learned that there are an enormous amount of biology terms that can be pronounced several different ways. I learn something new in that class every single day.
- What is your most memorable moment from court reporting school?
My most memorable moment from court reporting school was probably when I passed my first 225 test. School was a long, hard road, and that was a very exhilarating experience.
- What was the biggest challenge you’ve overcome so far as a working professional, and how did you do so?
One of my biggest challenges is numbers and fingerspelling. Practicing, along with writing a statistics course and fingerspelling pop-up biology terms, has made me a better overall writer.
- What do you always include in your “elevator pitch” when you tell people what you do for a living?
I tell them I do CART, which most people aren’t familiar with. So then I tell them that it’s captioning what the professor says for students who are deaf and hard of hearing. I also make sure to tell them how there are many more people needed in the field, so if they know anyone who may be interested to let them know about it.
- What is your favorite benefit of being an NCRA member?
My favorite benefit of being an NCRA member is reading JCRs and the great wealth of information that is included in them as well as being able to list my certifications on my résumé.
- Before I became one, I never knew that captioners …
… had to put so much research and prep into doing a good job.
- What is your dream reporting or captioning assignment?
I would love to caption somewhere locally so people can see and understand what I do for a living.
Haven’t renewed yet? Members can take advantage of Black Friday discounts and giveaways, including purchase of membership renewals. Mark your calendars for Nov. 24.
