From the President's Desk: First things first….. Sincere and humble apologies from me for the delay in sending out this newsletter. I was hoping to

have my contribution completed in February, a month which has been fantastic for BIVR.

BIVR Awareness Week 2016

One word. WOW!

As you all know, the week culminated with our London Exhibition on Friday, 5 February. The

support we received was absolutely fantastic; from members, from non-members, from students,

from principals, from reporting agencies (local AND international), from captioning agencies, from

international organisations, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera (in the words of Yul Brynner in The King &

I!).

The entire day surpassed certainly my expectations and has kept me grinning from ear to ear, even

up to the point I write this. In the days leading up to the event I felt like you do when you throw a

party and you always wonder if anyone is actually going to turn up!

It’s over a month now since BAW and I hear reporters still talking about it and employees/principals

from some of the agencies still commenting on the day. I reckon it’s pretty safe to say that BIVR

Awareness Week was a huge success.

The stream of visitors throughout the day was constant. Except for a slight lull at lunchtime, the

room was absolutely filled with a hubbub of activity.

The day ended with us popping the first bottle of Prosecco at around 5.45, and we went on to

consume another eight!

All in all, it truly was wonderful to see old faces and friends, make some new connections and re-

establish old ones.

Now we know what to expect, the next one will be bigger and better, and with plenty more notice!

The first four days of BAW saw us being active on social media (Facebook and Twitter). As not all

members use social media, I also posted the daily posts on our website’s Forum (yes, it is still up

and running!) so that all members were kept in the loop of what we were doing on social media.

Before our awareness week, we didn’t really use the public Facebook page, just the Closed (private)

Facebook group. The good news is that our public page, which had a mere 24 Likes before BAW,

now has 244, and is growing every week. This means that your Institute is getting recognised all

over the world!

In case you missed either the social media posts or have not seen them on the BIVR Forum, we

have included them at the foot of this newsletter.

Thanks to everybody who attended the day and/or helped out. Also, thanks to to Sheryll Holley for

her tweeting, and Victoria Davies and Nicola Dutton for being Twitter experts!

Congratulations to Ian Dawson and Nicola Dutton on winning the RealtimeCoach prizes, and to

Miriam Weisinger for graciously receiving the pen writers’ prizes.

Last but never least, a personal thank-you from me to Mary: We had exchanged hundreds of emails

in organising this event but there is one thing I must say, and I know, without a doubt, with my hand

on my heart, and with every Fellow, Member, Associate and Student in agreement - without you,

Mary, there truly would be no BIVR and, for that, we thank you. But we also thank you for all that

you do, have done, and continue to give to this profession.

Other news…

Intersteno

Intersteno’s President, Fausto Ramondelli, attended the BIVR event, as a result of which BIVR was

offered, and we have accepted, to become the British National Group of Intersteno. Intersteno is the

International Federation of Information and Communication Processing. Their next Congress will be

in 2017 in Berlin.

Our profession is a global profession, as evidenced by not only the array of nationalities we have

within our membership but also by the number of countries who have been members of Intersteno

for a very long time. You don’t need me, an Aussie, to tell you that the United Kingdom is a major

country in Europe, but it was (until last year) rather conspicuous by its absence in not being a

member of Intersteno, whether as the National Group or as an Associate Member. “The first

meeting from which Intersteno was born, took place in London on September 1887”…it’s only

natural that we become the British National Group. Intersteno has worldwide recognition and I think

to be a member of it can only be a good thing.

The formality of becoming the British National Group won’t occur until the decision is ratified by

the Council of Intersteno in October, but there seems to be no obstacle to that happening.

As with the BIVR ‘Find a Reporter’ reporter search, you will be able to have your details listed on the

Intersteno website. Rest assured that your details will not be passed on to Intersteno if you do not

opt in for this listing. More details on this will be forthcoming after the ratification.

“About Intersteno” from their website:

“Even though it was formed in 1887 concentrating mainly upon professional shorthand, Intersteno

has been able to keep pace with the technological and social changes brought about in the last

century.

Since its beginning Intersteno had a world-wide vision, inviting people all over the world to join the

national groups which now represent all continents. In addition, its interests are not linked to a

specific professional status since it embraces teachers as well as professional reporters, secretaries

and parliamentary reporters, using any technology of fast writing.

Steno lovers, as well as keyboarding champions, stenographers with steno machines and verbatim

writers are all welcome. Within Intersteno they can exchange ideas and experiences, competing on

level terms at national and international championships. All these technologies are today supported

and integrated by informatics.

‘Intersteno people’ are clever, open-minded and alert persons who enjoy using their skills as

personal or professional productivity tools, which play an important part in the multi-media

communication processes of our times. Intersteno people (over 4200) now receive an e-news

Intersteno letter on regular basis.

Intersteno congresses and competitions (now available also via Internet) are important events

attended by at least 500 people from all continents.”

http://www.intersteno.org/

US reporters

We are still hearing of US reporters coming into the UK and working in London. We hope to have

the situation clarified once and for all in the near future on the exact legalities of the situation.

Try as we might, there will still be those who will knowingly enter and work illegally, i.e., without the

necessary visa, but, please, if you do hear of this happening, contact Mary or me with any

information you have, and please believe me when I say you will remain anonymous.

We hear from time to time about offers to come over here to offer software training. Unfortunately,

they too need a work permit/visa and by asking for a "donation" you could be compromising yourself

if you agree to this.

I had attorneys just this last week ask me if I ever work in the US; I almost choked on my

coffee. Needless to say, I put my point across, very respectfully, about the whole situation and they

seemed to understand. Well, they were nodding their heads anyway; whether in agreement or in the

hope I would stop talking, I know not.

We are in the process of writing an article about the Institute and its members for the US NCRA

Journal of Court Reporting (JCR). It is yet another effort to inform the world that, yes, this is a global

profession and that, yes, we are here in the UK with members more than capable of covering all

manner of assignments, including but not limited to US depositions, arbitrations, and Speech-to-

Text.

In a couple of recent editions of the JCR, a US reporter has written two articles and has “a member

of the British Institute of Verbatim Reporters” at the end of her articles. She is, in fact, not a member

but has been in the past, over ten years ago. Our secretary has emailed this reporter and politely

asked her to correct this.

Lastly on the US, I am honoured to have been invited to speak at a court reporting function later on

in the year (no, not the NCRA!). I’m not quite sure whether it is as Leah or as President of BIVR, or

maybe President Leah heehee! Whichever it is, I shall be doing this with a smile on my face, a

spring in my step, and the BIVR membership at the forefront of my mind.

Congratulations…

Finally, congratulations to Louise Frith who has become a trainee reporter at DTI (Merrill Legal

Solutions as was). Louise was a student of Mary’s (and came to the 2014 AGM to shadow Jean

taking our note) and went on to do some transcription work for DTI, with a view to getting into the

reporter’s hot seat one day. Well, she’s made it!

We might hear a bit more about Louise’s journey in a future newsletter.

On that encouraging note, I wish you all a wonderful springtime, and Happy Reporting!!

Leah M Willersdorf

President

Save the date

AGM 2016 – 10/11 September 2016 in London

We will be having workshops on the two main softwares, Case CATalyst and Eclipse.. Details are

yet to be finalised. If you have any suggestions for things you would like to be covered in the

software (or any other) workshops, please do let us know.

For the Case CATalyst workshop, please be on the most up-to-date version.

Transcription - back to basics? Editing, punctuation, spelling!

We will be holding membership examinations so please consider upgrading from Associate to full

Member.

We will again be offering BIVR's QRR examinations on the Sunday.

We will be awarding structured CPD for those attending the workshops.

CPD

Please note that our AGM Minutes are confidential to members only and should not be sent to other

bodies as proof of CPD. Thy have no right to them.

Typepart, Watford.

Denis Tyler and Typepart are no longer Stenograph-approved as apparently Stenograph prefer to

sell direct from the United States. However, Typepart are still there for repairs, servicing and

consumables such as chargers, tripods, exhibit labels, etc.

TYPEPART LIMITED

For over 10 years Typepart have been Servicing and Repairing the range of Stenograph Machines from our workshop in Watford, Hertfordshire We supply Stenograph Spare Parts, Consumables and Accessories. TYPEPART LIMITED, Unit 4 Olds Close Olds Approach Watford Hertfordshire WD18 9RU For further details contact Denis Tyler either by e-mail at denistyler@btconnect.com or phone on – 01284 700803

Annual Subscriptions

Subscriptions were due on 1 January 2016. Thank you to the vast majority who have paid, but if you have not paid your sub then this will be the last Newsletter you will receive. You will no longer be on Find a Reporter/Reporter Search on the BIVR website, nor will you have access to BIVR's Facebook Group. Many jobs are advertised on the members' area of the website and on Facebook. The designatory letters A, M or FBIVR may no longer be used. There was a problem with our up-graded members' area of the website so that the PayPal pay portal did not work as in previous years. You do now have to "subscribe" if you use the PayPal method. We are still accepting cheques and payment via Bacs, or Standing Order. Please contact sec@bivr.org.uk for any further details. Please keep me updated as to your new email address. Sec.

Members' Bios

Why not enhance your chance of receiving work by sending me a short bio about yourself? Have a look at our website and see what members write about themselves. Sec.

Reading back vs Playing back - a definite no-no!

We heard recently that a verbatim reporter when asked to read back said: "I'll play you the audio." The back-up audio was apparently then played. That reporter was NOT a BIVR member, but your Council were dismayed to learn of it and do not condone such practice.

Welcome

Welcome to new members who joined having visited us on Friday 5 February.

Lighthearted Corner!

From IDT - our "Intrepid DARTS Transcriber": "Did he really say that?" Q. How many brothers and sisters do you have? A. Two brothers. I don't have any sisters. Q. And both your brothers are younger than you, aren't they? A. Yeah, they're both younger. Q. Yeah. So you're the oldest of the children; is that right? A. Yeah. Q. Who was the very first person you told about that, please? A. My Nan. Q. Right. Where were you when you told her? A. I was in the car coming back from a singing lesson. It was just me and her in the car. Q. You beat me to it. I was going to ask who else was in the car. Just you and your Nan? A. Yeah, it was just me and my Nan. Q. Were you sitting in the front or the back? A. I was sitting at the front of her car. Q. So you are next to -- I take it your Nan was driving, was she? A. Yeah, my Nan was driving.

SOCIAL MEDIA POSTINGS DURING BIVR AWARENESS WEEK 2016

Monday, 1 February - DAY ONE

And so it begins - BAW 2016!! To start the week off, we thought we would begin where the profession began.... Almost everybody has heard of pen shorthand, whether it be Pitman, Gregg, Teeline, or others. Before the advent of machine shorthand, the order of the day was outlines above, below or on the line; light and dark strokes; light and dark dots and dashes for vowels; diphthongs, triphones, diphones; and, of course, every stenographer's favourite, shortforms/briefs. Some of the Institute's members retrained from pen shorthand to machine shorthand, whilst others chose to stay with their trusty pens. To this day, we have a good number of members who still practise pen shorthand-writing. Their experience and knowledge is vast and invaluable to the Institute. The speed at which they turn around transcripts is part of their expertise (and considering they don't have dictionaries to translate against), and they are always, always -- just like machine reporters -- ready for a readback if necessary. Today, we want to share with you a recent BBC article from 16 January 2016, in which our very own Secretary, Mary Sorene, makes a "guest appearance" and gives a demonstration of those beautiful little squiggles, dots and dashes. Here's to the art of pen shorthand! #BIVR2016 #BIVR http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-34603886 Tuesday, 2 February – DAY TWO Today sees us focusing on reporting in Parliament and looking at the workings of Hansard. Hansard reporting nowadays is mostly digitised but we do still have members who attend Select Committees, governmental meetings, political assemblies and suchlike within the walls of Westminster. Hansard reporters provided "edited verbatim" transcripts and, like all spheres of the reporting world, they had all "the main Hansard hallmarks of accuracy, speed, expertise, reliability and, when required, confidentiality." Yes, this is a lengthy but interesting read into the history of how Hansard began, how it grew and where it is today, so why not grab a nice cup of tea, get comfy and have a read. Better still, listen to the video while following along with the transcript and see what "edited verbatim" really does mean.... #BIVR #BIVR2016 http://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/outreach-and-training/resources-for-universities/teaching-resources/open-lecture-series/open-lectures/the-history-workings-and-future-challenges-of-hansard/ Wednesday, 3 February – DAY THREE Today we focus on reporting in the UK and Europe… In March 2012, the last plug of a steno machine was pulled from the wall socket at the Old Bailey in “favour” of DARTS (Digital Audio Recording and Transcription and Storage). While all other Crown

Courts had begun the move already in June 2011, the Central Criminal Court was the last to follow suit. Of course no stenographer, whether pen writer or machine writer, was supportive of the decision but the only thing to do was, to put it crudely, like it or lump it. One minute we were covering courts across the land on a daily basis and then gradually we were phased out. As most of us in this industry know, this has happened in a number of other countries across the globe to varying degrees. None of us like it one little bit, but one of the best things we can do is to keep on advocating the benefits of a human over that of a recording device. One example, and there are many, is that a recording device will not be able to capture what was said by Mr Paper Shuffler as he hurriedly turns pages right next to his microphone as he begins his important cross-examination of an alleged murderer. What happens then? Those important words are lost. Forever. They become an “[inaudible]” on the page. That just doesn’t happen with a reporter because we are physically there. We have a mouth; we can speak up and politely ask Mr Paper Shuffler to repeat himself. Then, of course, there is the realtime-reporting element that comes with using a human over a recording system. To list the benefits here would be to make this post longer than yesterday’s featured article, but BIVR, having an examining board remit, has its own realtime accreditation known as the QRR qualification, Qualified Realtime Reporter, at varying levels and speeds. Work here in the UK and Europe has not, to put it colloquially, dried up completely but it has decreased dramatically, thereby impacting our reporters. Our industry here is small, some would say miniscule in comparison to some countries, especially the US which has 30,000+ reporters, but we have the British stiff upper lip and so we soldier on with aplomb. BIVR members do work in many spheres of the law even after the advent of DARTS. Our members regularly cover assignments all over the country in the higher courts, Crown Courts, regulatory health organisations (such as the General Dental Council), also covering press conferences, public inquiries, Royal Commissions, industry and political conferences. Some members also provide communication support in the form of speech-to-text reporting (also referred to as captioning or CART) for Deaf and Hard of Hearing clients, including subtitling for TV. We have globetrotting members who have vast experience in covering US depositions (with American spellings), international arbitrations and conferences around the world – all over the UK, in Eire, in Europe, in Asia, and even in India. With this experience comes a certain knowledge of traditions and customs in particular countries as well as familiarity with accents, not only regional accents in Great Britain but also European ones. A pharmaceutical deposition of a Liverpudlian scientist based in Germany is not so easy at the best of times, especially to an “untrained” ear. If you require the services of a reporter anywhere in the UK and/or Europe in particular, but also further afield, for any type of job, our members are best-placed to cover. Our website (www.bivr.org.uk) has a Reporter Search function which lists the service types particular members provide. Please, however, do note that not all our members opt in to have their details in this public section of the website, so please do email our Secretary if you would like us to contact other members behind the scenes, so to speak. Today’s article, with a very similar title to Monday's BBC feature, even quotes the world-renowned Mark Kislingbury! #BIVR #BIVR2016 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-13035979

Thursday, 4 February – DAY FOUR If only the walls could speak.... The Old Bailey, some say the most famous criminal court in the world, is the focus of our post today. The majority of our members, past and present, have set foot and worked in the confines of what once was, and to some probably still is, the most dreaded place in the land. Of course nowadays, however, hangings, public or otherwise, don't occur. Newgate Prison stood side by side what is also formally known as the Central Criminal Court. Condemned prisoners would take a short walk between to the two buildings to a square situated outside the prison where a public hanging would take place in front of a crowd of up to 20,000. The last woman to be hanged was in 1862, with the last man being hanged in 1902. "Thankfully for present day criminals, the Execution Room that was contained within the ramp from Newgate Street into the cell complex was demolished as part of the renovations between 1902 and 1907 before the current court was opened. The grim confines of Newgate prison was demolished in 1904, and in its place is a complex of 74 cells that is contained within the current building." It was only in 2013 that pictures from days of old at the courthouse and prison were published for public viewing. Pages and pages of history have been written in the Bailey due to the criminality of crooks, and stenographers have, until recently, always had a front-row seat watching it unfold before their very eyes and ears. Bailey reporters could probably write a book on their experiences, I'm sure. If you are ever in London, this building is truly worth a visit. The Grand Hall is simply stunning and, as mentioned in the article, the dome mirrors that of St Paul's Cathedral which is just around the corner. Security is high, of course. In today's article, some secrets of the Old Bailey are revealed but I'm sure her walls have many, many a tale to tell which will remain in the bricks and mortar forever. #BIVR #BIVR2016 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2341560/Behind-locked-doors-Old-Bailey-Exclusive-pictures-reveal-363-year-old-dead-mans-walk-Britains-evil-killers-led-gallows.html Friday, 5 February – DAY FIVE As the last day of our first ever BIVR Awareness Week begins, we thought we would share an insight into those seemingly mysterious wigs and gowns adorned by barristers and judges in the courtrooms of Her Majesty’s Commonwealth. Have you ever watched a film set back in a time which is reminiscent of Amadeus and wondered about those horsehair wigs? Having asked that question, here’s another: Have you ever watched a film and seen a stenographer sitting there with her/his fingers dancing on top of the keys in that boredom motion of tapping your pinky to your forefinger and back, pinky to forefinger and back, pinky to forefinger and back….you get the gist! Well, here’s a little snippet from today’s article which we think every stenographer across the globe

will relate to: “If you watch a TV drama and see a barrister with beautiful flowing locks and/or a fringe protruding from under a wig you can be assured that every barrister in the country is commenting, loudly, on how wrong it is. We also comment on ill-fitting wigs, wigs which look too new, wigs worn too far forward, wigs worn too far back... the list is endless and it is not surprising that many spouses flatly refuse to watch legal dramas with their barristerial partner!” The wigs and gowns still exist today but only in certain jurisdictions. In Her Majesty’s courtrooms it is customary to bow your head to the Coat of Arms to acknowledge the land, the court and its judiciary. It does feel a little odd to bow to the presiding judge when he/she is in a suit as opposed to the regalia of old; however, the pomp and circumstance will always remain, and it is one of the true traditions of Great Britain, amongst many others. Meanwhile, I’m off to make sure “barristerial” and the suffix "-ial" are actually in my Personal Dictionary. And we will see you later with some pictures from our week-long celebrations! #BIVR #BIVR2016 http://www.justcounsel.co/barristers-wigs-and-other-oddities-1/ A few BAW pics to be going on with:

Stop Press!

Our website Gallery is now up: http://bivr.org.uk/gallery/ Registered address: 73 Alicia Gardens, Kenton, Harrow, Middx. HA3 8JD.

Your Council: President: Leah Willersdorf - leah@bivr.org.uk Council Members: Vice President: Sheryll Holley - sheryll@bivr.org.uk Nicola Dutton - nicola@bivr.org.uk Georgina Ford - georgina@bivr.org.uk Nicole Harrison - nicole@bivr.org.uk Ann Lloyd - ann@bivr.org.uk Jean Lukins - jean@bivr.org.uk Ian Roberts - ian@bivr.org.uk Elisabeth (Betty) Willett - elisabeth@bivr.org.uk Karen Young - Karen@bivr.org. Secretary: Mary Sorene - sec@bivr.org.uk