NCRA

NCRA, the National Court Reporters Association, is a professional organization based in the United States that represents court reporters, stenographers, captioners, CART providers, and other professionals involved in creating verbatim transcripts of spoken events. The association supports the profession by promoting standards of accuracy and ethics, offering professional development, and serving as a resource for practitioners, students, and employers.

NCRA administers certification programs for court reporting and related fields, accrediting practitioners who meet education, examination, and experience requirements. It provides continuing education opportunities, publishes materials such as manuals and journals, and maintains online resources including a job bank and a searchable directory of members.

Membership includes individual professionals, students, and corporate partners; many have state or regional chapters that organize events and local activities. The organization hosts an annual conference and exposition, with sessions on reporting technology, realtime translation, captioning, and industry trends. NCRA engages in advocacy and outreach to courts, legislators, and educational institutions to promote access to justice, accuracy in reporting, and the value of certified professionals.

As a professional body, it supports research and technology adoption such as realtime captioning for television and CART services used in educational settings. Overall, NCRA works to advance the professionalism of court reporters and related fields through standards, education, and community building.