Court reporter, transcriptionist, interpreter: who does what

The official stenographer, in Quebec

In Quebec, the official stenographer (sténographe officiel) is trained and accredited: the program of the École de sténographie judiciaire du Québec, then the Barreau du Québec’s examination; the Barreau keeps the roll of official stenographers. The job: record and transcribe exactly what is said in examinations and hearings.

A detail few people know: according to Éducaloi, the stenographer usually does not attend the hearing at all. Quebec courtrooms are recorded, and the stenographer works afterwards, from the sound recording.

In Ontario: Authorized Court Transcriptionists

In Ontario, only people listed as Authorized Court Transcriptionists may certify a transcript of an Ontario court proceeding. They work from the court’s recordings. Examinations for discovery, which take place out of court, are taken by private court reporting firms.

In the United States: the court reporter

The court reporter takes the record live, by stenotype or by voice writing, and produces the transcript. Many states require a license or certification; the national association (NCRA) awards its own credentials. In federal court, the law requires every session to be recorded verbatim — by shorthand, mechanical means or electronic sound recording — and makes a certified transcript prima facie evidence of what was said (28 U.S.C. § 753).

The court reporter shortage is pushing several states towards electronic recording: see our September 2026 watch.

The interpreter

An interpreter produces no document: they render what is said, aloud and live, in another language. In Canada, the Charter guarantees a party or witness who does not understand or speak the language of the proceedings, or who is deaf, the right to the assistance of an interpreter (section 14). In U.S. federal courts, the Court Interpreters Act governs the use of certified interpreters (28 U.S.C. § 1827).

The practical consequence: in an interpreted deposition, the reporter takes down what the interpreter says. If nobody transcribes the original language, the witness’s own words exist in the record only in someone else’s translation.

The transcriptionist — what Lexoral does

A transcriptionist produces a transcript from a recording. At Lexoral, each language is transcribed as it was spoken, never translated; the interpretation, where there is one, is transcribed separately and marked as such; and the person who did the work signs a declaration of accuracy.

We are not official stenographers and do not claim to be. Where a rule requires a transcript for the court record to be made by an official stenographer or an authorized transcriptionist, that rule governs; write to us and we will tell you what your forum expects. Where we help: recorded evidence (911 calls, intercepts, video), recorded arbitrations, examinations in two languages, and a source-language transcript when an interpretation is disputed.

And the translator?

A translator works on written documents. A translation renders a text in another language; a transcript reproduces what was said, in the language it was said in. Both can sit in the same file, but one does not replace the other.

Sources

1. Éducaloi, “Sténographe officiel” (in French)
2. Barreau du Québec, “Official Quebec stenographers”
3. Authorized Court Transcriptionists for Ontario — FAQ
4. 28 U.S.C. § 753 — reporters (LII)
5. 28 U.S.C. § 1827 — Court Interpreters Act (LII)
6. Charterpedia, section 14 — right to an interpreter (Justice Canada)

General information, not legal advice. Rules change and differ from one forum to the next: check the current text and what your forum requires.

Also read

• What a legal transcript is for — and who actually reads it
• Deposing a Canadian witness for a U.S. case
• Record watch: transcription and justice in Canada and the U.S. — late September 2026