5.2 Globaling Strategies & Managing Untranslates

5.2 Globaling Strategies & Managing Untranslates

In stenographic transcription, globaling is the systematic process of defining an untranslated steno outline—or re-defining an incorrectly translated stroke sequence—and storing that definition in a CAT dictionary so that every identical outline throughout the document and in future translation cycles renders as polished English text. A single global command executed in a CAT editor can instantaneously resolve dozens or hundreds of raw steno occurrences across a 300-page transcript.

However, globaling is a double-edged sword. Applying an inappropriate global type, or globaling a mechanical mistroke into a master dictionary, permanently injects systemic errors into your translation database. For the Registered Professional Reporter (RPR), mastering the strategic taxonomy of globals, understanding the physical and electronic root causes of untranslates, and establishing unshakeable dictionary backup protocols are essential competencies.

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Types of Globals by Where They Are Saved

Modern CAT systems categorize globaling operations based on two critical parameters: destination storage target and scope of persistence. Every reporter should know the three common save targets. CAT programs name these options differently; the D, K, and J labels below are study shorthand, not universal command names:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                     THE THREE PRIMARY GLOBAL TYPES                      │
├──────────────┬──────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────┤
│ GLOBAL TYPE  │ TARGET STORAGE LOCATION  │ PERSISTENCE & SCOPE           │
├──────────────┼──────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────────┤
│  D-GLOBAL    │ Personal / Master Dict   │ Permanent across ALL future   │
│ (Dictionary) │ (personal/main dict)     │ cases, jobs, and sessions.    │
├──────────────┼──────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────────┤
│  K-GLOBAL    │ Active Case / Job Dict   │ Restricted exclusively to the │
│   (Case)     │ (job or case dict)       │ active litigation matter.     │
├──────────────┼──────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────────┤
│  J-GLOBAL    │ Active Document / File   │ Temporary. Modifies text in   │
│    (Job)     │ (Transcript buffer only) │ current file without dict save│
└──────────────┴──────────────────────────┴───────────────────────────────┘

1. D-Globals (Dictionary / Personal Master Globals)

A D-Global commits the steno outline and its English definition directly and permanently into the reporter's Personal Master Dictionary.

• Application: Reserved exclusively for standard English vocabulary, commonly accepted legal or medical terms, idioms, and universal personal brief forms that will be stroked identically in every future proceeding regardless of jurisdiction or topic.
• Example: Defining TPRAEPB/SEUK as forensic, or establishing a new brief TK-BL for deliverable.
• Operational Danger: If a reporter D-globals a word with a typographical error (e.g., typing "plaitniff" instead of "plaintiff") or globals a case-specific proper noun, that error becomes permanent across all future transcripts until manually audited and excised.

2. K-Globals (Case / Job Dictionary Globals)

A K-Global writes the steno outline and English definition directly into the Case Dictionary currently attached to the proceeding.

• Application: Used for proper nouns, party names, expert surnames, local geographic landmarks, and corporate terminology specific to that litigation.
• Example: In a medical malpractice deposition, defining SKWROEPB/SON as Dr. Johnson, or defining P-F-R as Pfizer.
• Operational Benefit: Provides complete isolation. When the reporter closes the deposition and detaches the case dictionary, the K-global definition is deactivated, preventing it from ever interfering with unrelated subsequent cases.

3. J-Globals (Job / Temporary / Document Globals)

A J-Global (referred to in some CAT platforms as a Job Global or Text-Only Global) replaces the selected steno outline with English text throughout the current transcript file only, without saving the definition into any underlying dictionary file on disk.

• Application: Ideal for one-time phonetic anomalies, garbled strokes resulting from an attorney coughing mid-word, tentative spelling guesses awaiting verification, or isolated colloquialisms.
• Operational Characteristic: Because a J-global does not modify any physical dictionary database, re-translating the raw steno file from scratch will recreate the original untranslate unless the edit history file is actively preserved.

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Realtime On-the-Fly Globaling vs. Post-Session Scoping

One of the defining skills separating standard reporters from elite realtime practitioners is the ability to execute on-the-fly globaling directly from the steno keyboard while writing live testimony.

[Attorney Speaks New Technical Term: "Empagliflozin"]
                           │
                           ▼
     [Reporter Strokes Phonetic Outline: EPM/PA/TKPWHREUF/O/SEUPB]
                           │
                           ▼
     [Output Appears as Untranslate on Reporter Screen]
                           │
                           ▼
[Reporter Executes Steno Global Macro Chord (e.g., TK-LS or Number Bar)]
                           │
                           ▼
 [Defines Text as K-Global ──▶ Instant Refresh Across Client Monitors]

Mechanics of On-the-Fly Machine Globaling

During a live proceeding, a new technical term or proper noun may recur dozens or hundreds of times. If left undefined, it generates constant visual noise and untranslates on client screens. Using dedicated steno macro chords (such as striking a designated stroke like TK-LS or a programmed number-bar sequence), the reporter commands the CAT software to:

1. Open an interactive global dialogue box over the most recently stroked outline.
2. Ingest the English text via steno fingerspelling, a predefined macro glossary, or quick keyboard entry.
3. Designate the definition as a K-Global.
4. Commit the entry: The CAT software instantly re-translates every previous occurrence of that outline in the transcript and broadcasts the corrected English text across all connected client viewing monitors (e.g., CaseViewNet, Bridge, LiveNote) without interrupting the incoming translation stream.

Tactical Realtime Rules: When NOT to Global On-the-Fly

On-the-fly globaling demands significant cognitive bandwidth. Attempting to global during intense, multi-voice cross-examination at 220+ words per minute introduces catastrophic risk: if the reporter looks away from the speaker's cadence to verify a dialogue box, they risk falling behind and dropping subsequent sentences. A simple rule of thumb:

• If a term appears once or twice and testimony is fast, write it phonetically and leave it for post-session scoping.
• If a term is established as a central theme of the proceeding and will be repeated constantly throughout the day, execute an on-the-fly K-global during a natural pause, objection, or exhibit marking.

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Untranslate Identification & Root Cause Analysis

An untranslate occurs when the CAT translation engine cannot find a matching entry in any active dictionary layer and cannot parse the outline through morphological affix rules. The stroke appears on screen in raw steno characters (e.g., STKPW-F or TKPWRAET).

Before executing any global, the reporter must diagnose the precise mechanical or electronic root cause of the untranslate:

| Untranslate Etiology | Physical / Mechanical Mechanism | Visual Appearance in Steno Note File | Correct Remedial Action | |---|---|---|---|---| | Missing Entry | Word stroked perfectly according to theory, but outline has never been entered into active dictionaries. | Clean, textbook steno strokes matching standard theory (e.g., P-R/P-L). | D-Global (if general word) or K-Global (if case-specific). | | Mechanical Mistroke | Physical finger error: striking incorrect key, omitting a consonant, or hitting adjacent vowel. | Distorted outline (e.g., striking O instead of A, yielding STOPB instead of STAPB). | Fix in Editor Only. NEVER global a mistroke into a master dictionary! | | Key Drag | Fingers lingering on keys from previous stroke, dragging trailing consonants into next stroke. | Extra keys carried into the next stroke (e.g., a held key turning KAT into SKAT). | Mechanical adjustment of key depth/tension; finger release drills. | | Shadow Strokes | Ultra-sensitive electronic contacts or light brushing of adjacent keys registering ghost letters. | Extraneous faint vowels or consonants appearing intermittently on edge keys. | Adjust electronic sensor thresholds or clean internal contact pads on steno writer. |

[!WARNING] The Mistroke Globaling Trap: Never global a clear mistroke into your personal master dictionary simply to make it translate in the current transcript. If you hit P-FR instead of P-P for paper and D-global P-FR as "paper", every future legitimate stroke of P-FR (which might represent prefer) will erroneously translate as "paper". Correct mistrokes exclusively via text replacement in the editor or through temporary J-globals.

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Suffix and Prefix Parsing Mechanics

Modern CAT systems incorporate sophisticated morphological parsers designed to recognize English prefixes and suffixes, allowing reporters to write inflected forms without maintaining separate dictionary entries for every possible derivative.

Suffix Folding Rules and Spacing Codes

Dictionary definitions use formatting codes to control how affixes attach. The notation differs by program: the examples below use the open-source Plover notation, while RTF/CRE files use control words such as \cxds (delete space) and \cxfc (force capital).

• Attach ({^}): Suppresses the space so a suffix joins the previous word (e.g., {^ing}, {^ed}, {^s}).
• Capitalize next word ({-|}): Forces the next word to start with a capital letter.
• Lowercase next word ({>}): Forces the next word to lowercase.

[Root Stroke: "WALK"] + [Suffix Stroke: "-G"] ──▶ CAT Parser ──▶ "walk" + "{^ing}" ──▶ "walking"

Boundary Collision Traps

Affix rules can misfire if suffix strokes conflict with standalone words. For example, if a reporter defines -G as {^ing} in the suffix table, but also defines -G as the standalone brief for go in the personal dictionary, the CAT engine must determine whether -G should attach to the preceding word or stand alone as "go". If boundary rules fail, they were walking can translate as they were walk go. Resolving these conflicts requires assigning unambiguous, dedicated suffix chords or establishing strict timing thresholds in the translation configuration.

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Phonetic Translation Engines & Untranslate Scoping

When an outline has no exact match in any dictionary layer and cannot be parsed by affix rules, modern CAT engines deploy a phonetic translation fallback.

How Phonetic Engines Work

The phonetic engine breaks the unmapped steno chord into its elemental phonetic components (initial consonants, medial vowels, final consonants) and queries an algorithmic English phonetic pronunciation database. It attempts to construct a readable English approximation—for example, converting the unindexed proper noun stroke B-A-R-K-L-A-E into "Barkley" rather than leaving raw steno chords on the client's screen.

Limitations and Risks in Live Realtime

While phonetic engines improve readability for human observers during live proceedings, they can introduce severe transcript distortions if calibrated too aggressively. A mistroked medical term can be phonetically converted into an absurd or offensive English phrase. Realtime reporters configure phonetic translation thresholds conservatively, ensuring that only high-confidence phonetic matches are displayed while obscure multi-stroke chords remain in clear steno format for post-session verification.

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Dictionary Backup, Synchronization & Disaster Recovery

A court reporter's personal dictionary represents an irreplaceable professional asset embodying hundreds of thousands of keystrokes and years of intellectual capital. Losing a dictionary file due to hardware failure, ransomware, or operating system corruption is a career-threatening catastrophe.

The 3-2-1 Backup Protocol for Steno Dictionaries

A widely used data-protection rule of thumb, the 3-2-1 backup rule, fits steno dictionaries well:

[Primary Master Dictionary: Workstation NVMe SSD]
                           │
       ┌───────────────────┴───────────────────┐
       ▼                                       ▼
[Local Backup Copy]                    [Offsite / Cloud Copy]
External Encrypted USB Drive / NAS     Secure, Encrypted Cloud Repository
(Secondary Media Type)                 (Offsite Geographic Separation)

1. Three Total Copies: Maintain the primary working dictionary plus at least two independent backup copies.
2. Two Different Media Types: Do not store backups exclusively on the computer's internal drive. Use a secondary physical medium, such as an encrypted external solid-state drive or dedicated Network Attached Storage (NAS).
3. One Offsite Location: Maintain at least one copy in a secure, encrypted offsite repository (such as an encrypted cloud storage service complying with SOC 2 and HIPAA security standards).

[!IMPORTANT] The Cloud Synchronization Lockout Hazard: Never allow automated cloud synchronization services (such as Dropbox, Microsoft OneDrive, or Google Drive) to actively sync your live CAT dictionary folder during a realtime proceeding. When CAT software translates in real time, it continuously opens, queries, and writes journal updates to active dictionary databases. If an automated cloud service attempts to lock and upload the dictionary file simultaneously, it causes a file-sharing contention error, resulting in frozen CAT software, dropped strokes, and corrupted database index headers. Always pause automated cloud sync prior to opening a live realtime session.