Support and promote the court reporting and captioning professions by taking part in NCRA’s National Committee of State Associations’ (NCSA) Fifth Annual State Challenge and earn a chance at winning the grand prize of a free registration to the 2019 NCRA Convention & Expo. The first-prize winner will receive five free NCRA webinars.
The NCSA challenge calls on all state associations and individuals to spread the word about the benefits of a career in court reporting or captioning. The challenge will culminate during NCRA’s 2019 Court Reporting & Captioning Week being held Feb. 9-16. The aim of the challenge is to encourage working professionals to reach out through career fairs and other activities to spread the word about the viable career paths of court reporting and captioning.
“You never realize just how much difference one presentation at a high school can make. There are so many people (students) who do not realize our profession even exists and the various types of reporting there are: official, freelance, and CART and broadcast captioning. You do not have to be perfect or a pro at public speaking to pull off a presentation. All you need is your machine and your laptop and the ability to do a realtime demo. Anything else is icing on the cake. The students will be in awe of what you can do — while at the same time showing them how you can kick Siri’s butt in translating the spoken word. Get out there and participate in Court Reporting & Captioning Week and the NCSA Challenge!” said NCSA Chair Huey L. Bang, RMR, CRR, an official court reporter from Pass Christian, Miss.
“With the shortage of reporters in the field, it’s more important than ever to let the public know what a reporter actually does and that you can make a good living while doing it. We need more people entering the field, and the only way to make that happen is to spread the word and do a demonstration at your local schools,” he added.
To help members and state associations celebrate the 2019 Court Reporting & Captioning Week, NCRA has available resources on NCRA.org/Awareness that includes press release templates, media advisories, activity ideas, and more. Other available resources include templates for official proclamations recognizing the week, flyers and logos, and materials for schools to use to help celebrate as well. This year’s Court Reporting & Captioning Week will mark the seventh year the Association has hosted the event.
“Court Reporting & Captioning Week is a great opportunity for us all to really take a little time to introduce our great profession to the world. Whether it’s a presentation at a local high school, a brief segment on the local news, or even discussing amongst friends what it is we do as court reporters and captioners, you could make a difference in someone’s life who would love this career path,” said NCSA Vice-Chair Carol Naughton, RPR, an official court reporter from Virginia Beach, Va.
“It’s always exciting to hear the different and unique ways states are getting involved and making a difference. I’m sure this year will be no different,” added Naughton, who is also immediate past president of the Virginia Court Reporters Association (VCRA).
“While doing an actual demonstration at a college or high school may be the quickest way to get someone into our profession, I encourage my state association and any individuals who can to get their state legislature to have a proclamation passed recognizing the week,” said Bang. “Whether it’s on the state level or your municipal level, it just gets people talking about what we do,” Bang added.
According to Naughton, VCRA is planning a social media challenge to celebrate the 2019 week. “While I’m not at liberty to share what’s up our sleeves, I can say that your state association may be called upon to meet our challenge. We may even challenge NCRA! So you better be ready!”
To learn more about NCSA’s State Challenge or to participate, visit NCRA.org/StateAssociations.
