What do they do, and how do they work?
It is important to remember that when a deaf person is either trying to lip-read the presenter or watch the Interpreter, they are unable to take notes at the same time, as this would involve switching eye gaze and missing the content.
Hearing people can take notes at the same time as listening to the content.
So, Electronic Notetakers would be used to take notes at staff meetings, conferences, public consultations, training events and also within an educational setting; lectures, presentations or seminars.
Electronic Notetaking does not produce a verbatim record. The Electronic Notetaker is specially trained in condensing language and would record a summary of what has been said, collating all the main points and accompanying comments. This is useful for team meetings and University lectures, where a summary is what is needed.
Some Electronic Notetakers, if required, are also able to stream live with the client reading a second screen in real time (online or face-to-face). In this event, the Electronic Notetaker uses specialist abbreviation software to speed up text and live stream as required. This software also enables the client to type messages to the Electronic Notekaker and add their own notes.
If you are booking a Notetaker on behalf of a deaf person, always ask if there are any preferences on how they would like the notes, as this will make them easier to refer back to afterwards.
When you compile your own notes, when you refer back to them, you know roughly where you are looking to find particular bits of information. It can be trickier to refer back to someone else’s notes.
How remote notetaking works?
Remote notetaking allows a student to access clear, accurate notes from their lectures without needing someone physically present in the room.
The lecture is recorded through a secure online platform, and the recording is then shared with the notetaker. The notetaker listens back, produces a set of structured notes, and uploads them into an organised folder.
Within this shared folder, students will find completed notes and past recordings, ensuring they can always go back and review material when needed. Universities can also upload lecture slides into the same space, giving notetakers the context they need to create high-quality, detailed notes.
Should the University have an online learning portal, the Notetaker can access the sessions from here to compile notes.
This process means that students can focus fully on their learning in the moment, knowing that comprehensive notes will be available afterwards.
Difference between electronic notetakers and Speech to Text Reporters (STTR’s)
A Palantypist, also known as a Speech to Text Reporter (STTR), provides a verbatim record of everything that is said. They use a specialist phonetic keyboard (Palantype or Stenography) that allows them to input speech at speeds of over 200 words per minute. The output is then translated into English using software and displayed in real time, often including additional information such as [laughter] or [applause] to give the user important environmental context. This service is essential for situations where precise wording and immediate access to spoken content is required.
An Electronic Notetaker, on the other hand, produces a summarised set of notes rather than a word-for-word account. These notes capture the key points, deadlines, and essential information from lectures, seminars, or meetings. For Deaf students, this is crucial because while they are focused on watching an interpreter, lipreading, or following live captions, they cannot take notes at the same time. The notes are provided afterwards in an electronic format, making them easy to review and search through for revision or reference.
So while both professionals support access to spoken content, they serve very different purposes: the Palantypist offers instant, word-for-word live access, while the Notetaker ensures the student has structured, reliable notes to reinforce their learning after the event.
Who would use this service?
Anyone! This could be used for taking notes during a team meeting, for a University lecture or any other meeting. Basically, in any scenario where the deaf person will need to refer to the content at a later date and will be lipreading or watching a BSL Interpreter during the interaction.
We would always recommend you ask the deaf person what service they would prefer, as this could change depending on the setting.
