A court reporter or stenographic reporter is a person whose occupation is to transcribe spoken or recorded speech into written form, typically using stenography equipment to produce official transcripts of court hearings, depositionss and other official proceedings. Court reporters use either a stenomask or a shorthand system in order to keep up with the flow of speech so that they do not miss any words. The court reporter is often also a notary public who is authorized to administer oaths to witnesses, and who certifies that her or his transcript of the proceedings is a verbatim account of what was said.