COMMUNICATION ACCESS REALTIME
TRANSLATION (CART)
Communication Access Realtime
Translation or CART is the process of translating spoken word into written
text for persons who may be deaf, hard of hearing, learners of English as
a second language, etc. This process is also known as realtime captioning
(RTC) or simply, captioning. Closed captioning implies that the captions
are embedded within the video signal and can be viewed only with a decoder
(internal or external).
Captioning requires a skilled stenographer (typically a court reporter),
stenotype machine, notebook computer and realtime software. Captions may
be displayed on a small screen read only by a few people, displayed on a
large screen for groups (i.e., conference settings), or broadcast on the
Internet or via satellite. Captions appear almost instantaneously so there
is very little lag time between the message that is being spoken and heard
and the message being displayed and read.
A partial listing
of private practice captioners and court reporting/captioning firms is
available. Individuals and firms are listed alphabetically with their
certifications and city or county of residence or business location. This
does not indicate work proximities as many captioners expect and are
willing to travel to a job site.
Captioning is not regulated by a specialty governing body. CART services
providers generally get their start by developing court reporting skills.
Certifications that are offered through the National Court Reporters
Association (NCRA) include:
RPR: Registered Professional Reporter
CRR: Certified Realtime Reporter
CBC: Certified Broadcast Captioner
CCP: Certified CART Provider
The Office for the Deaf and Hard of
Hearing strongly encourages you to secure the services of a professionally
trained reporter/captioner. It is also recommended that you first consult
with the Deaf or Hard of Hearing consumer for their preference if this is
possible. A guideline
for securing and hiring a CART provider is available.
CART Front Page
| Hiring Practices | Listing
Last Updated: April 29, 2008 |
