Q and A
| Q |
Is it cheaper if my lawyer orders the transcript rather than myself? |
| A |
No, the cost is the same. The only consideration is that your lawyer does not have to pay in advance, which can save valuable time if you are in a hurry to get the transcript. |
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| Q |
What does it mean when I see dashes (--) in my transcript? Are there words missing? |
| A |
No. Dashes are not used to replace words in a transcript. Rather, dashes are a universally-accepted punctuation mark used to set off stutters, false starts, and interrupted speech. |
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| Q |
Do I have to order the entire proceedings? |
| A |
No, you can order smaller designated portions. For example, you could order just the cross-examination of a particular witness or the submissions made by your counsel prior to a judgment. However, reasons, rulings or charges to the jury by the court must be ordered in their entirety. |
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| Q |
Can I get a copy of the audio with my transcript? |
| A |
The audio recording is the property of the government and all inquiries should be directed to the registry where your matter was heard. |
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| Q |
What does it mean when I see [indiscernible] in my transcript? |
| A |
Transcribing any recorded audio proceedings can be very difficult at times and the quality of the transcript is dependent on many things: the quality of the audio; whether the speaker is soft-spoken, away from the microphone or has a heavy accent; whether there are two or more speakers talking over each other; background noises such as coughing, sneezing, etc. All of these things can affect the outcome and quality of the transcript. When you see an [indiscernible] in your transcript, it means that the transcriber heard something but was not 100% confident what was spoken. |
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| Q |
When I ordered a complete day of proceedings, the ruling was not included in the transcript. Why? |
| A |
All rulings, reasons, and/or charges to the jury have to be sent to the judge or justice for approval before release. For Provincial Court matters, the ruling is sent to the judge for approval, and once approved, it is returned to our office for distribution to the ordering party. For Supreme Court matters, the ruling is sent to the justice for approval, and once approved, it is sent to the ordering party directly from the justice's office. We have no control over how long judges may take to approve their rulings. If we are aware of an upcoming court date, appeal date or a required deadline, we will notify the judge of the deadline in hopes that the approval process can be expedited and the ruling distributed before the deadline. However, once the ruling is with the judge, there is no guarantee as to an exact date of approval. |
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If you have additional questions, please contact the branch office that was processing your transcript. We would be pleased to assist you.
