[Alice Swartz]

Hey, Mr. Peralta, I am trying to find info on becoming a closed caption writer, but my internet search is confusing me. I called the local court reporter school, DACR, who insist that court reporter training is required for anyone who wants to do closed captioning. I am sure that’s true for real-time captioning, but I can’t imagine why it would be necessary for subtitling features or captioning, say, sitcoms. Aren’t such captions done in straight English? If not, why not? Seems to me it would make more sense than using a steno program. Then again, I’m on the outside looking in. That’s why I’m trying to get the truth from an expert who has no agenda (i.e., isn’t trying to sell me something).

I am a Mac user, an excellent speller, a freak about accuracy, I love TV and movies, and I hate driving. I could be deluded, but I’m thinking word-for-word transcription using MacCaption at home would be a dream job for me! When you refer to it as “word-for word”, I’m assuming you mean straight English, not CR-type steno. If you could, please enlighten me as to whether or not court reporter training — at 2.5 years and $26,500 tuition, by the way! — is definitely required to do the work I want to do.

If it isn’t, then can you point me toward the kind of training I do need to work at home on my iMac? Are there any websites or companies you can recommend I look into? Whatever info or insight you can provide would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance.

~~ Alice in Colorado