TNAG-1589-FCO40-21741-Future-of-the-judiciary-in-Hong-Kong.-Part-1-of-2-1987 — Page 172

limited to

to parts of the proceedings.

Nevertheless, furnishing

transcripts is very burdensome and not the sort of duty to be laid on judicial officers who have much more important work to do.

3.

A transcript of manuscript shorthand can be made only by the writer who usually has to take time out of court for the purpose. Most machine writers can transcribe their own or another's notes but also at the expense of time in court. Another and relatively new transcribing possibility where a shorthand machine has been used is computer assisted transcription.

Ga

Here the reporter can produce the

transcript or it can be done by a "scopist" leaving the court reporter in court.

•

Where the judge keeps the record a copy typist can make a transcript provided his notes are legible; if not he must dictate his notes for typing and must check the transcript.

5.

.

Since the great bulk of the recording is done by judges a considerable part of the transcribing burden also falls on them and must occupy a great deal of judicial time. That is serious but even more so is the additional time taken by the court solely because the judge is also the scribe. The habit is so ingrained in a few, who claim to be quick writers, that in their view they do not slow the pace of proceedings particularly when an interpreter is translating the evidence. With great respect to them I advise against giving much weight to that opinion. The majority of judicial officers take the opposite view as, unanimously, do all external contributors on this matter. Another small school of thought says that the judge needs to make a note anyway for the purposes of refreshing his memory during the case and of preparing the judgment or summing-up. Again the great majority discount this argument." The main and substantial demand is for relief from making the record and not for running, or twice-daily or daily transcripts. Except in very burdensome cases relief from mere personal note-taking is not being sought. A personal note can be made by means of personal shorthand and abbreviations in writing legible only to the judge and be in narrative rather than verbatim form.

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