Can You Rely on the Person Who Transcribed Your Medical Malpractice Case?
You’ve just taken a deposition for your first medical malpractice case. You’re positive the hospital will settle, and this case can be the one that pulls you ahead of the competition. You may even be able to use your own court reporters for future cases, so it’s no problem to use a third-party transcription service for just one more case.
Unfortunately, many cost-cutting firms have made this mistake in the past, only to see their big cases fall victim to inexperienced or untrustworthy transcribers. Consider how a transcriptionist may hinder your court case if he or she does not have knowledge of:
- Legal terminology. While you may consider a knowledge of common legal terms to be the most basic of requirements for transcribing court records, not all transcriptionists have legal backgrounds. Unlike licensed court reporters, a transcriptionist may only be certified to transcribe certain types of information (or may not be certified at all).
- Medical terminology. While court reporters are encouraged to continue their education with learning courses and by building medical glossaries, many overseas companies require little expertise in the field other than speaking the language. A person unused to the spelling, usage, and nuances of medical terminology may make any number of mistakes in the transcript.
- Proper procedures. Another common blunder is to assume that a transcript provider will use software that is compatible with your own. Even a paper copy of the transcript may have formatting issues that makes it inadmissible for court use.
- [Unintelligible]. Overseas transcription providers who are under tight speed constraints and have difficulty understanding recordings may choose to litter the page with descriptions such as [garbled] or [unintelligible], leaving the jury without a reference when it comes to deliberation.
Why You Should Trust a Small Firm With Your Big Case
Before you place the future of your firm in the hands of a pay-per-page service, consider the benefits of keeping your transcripts close to home. At Casamo & Associates, we offer competent and affordable transcription services, as well as first-rate customer service to make sure your transcripts are delivered on time in the format requested.
Do you have a special request or need a specific service? Call us at (703) 837-0076 for answers to your questions, or use our convenient online scheduler to let us know how we can help you.
