© BrenDeBev (all publication rights reserved)

Most of us use our software every day without really understanding or even being aware of many of the features available to help fine-tune our user experience. Today we are launching a series of blog posts, Making Eclipse Work for You, that will explore Eclipse’s user settings.  We begin with the Translate tab.

1.  Insert missing BY lines. Checking this box will instruct Eclipse to insert a by line after colloquy while you are writing.  No need to remember to use your speaker symbol when returning from colloquy or marking an exhibit.  At the beginning of an examination, stroke your speaker symbol and the Q, and Eclipse will remember which speaker to insert until you write a new speaker+Q (or Q+speaker) combination.  This is a win-win, saving time on both the reporting and editing sides of the job.

2.  Convert ANSWER to: THE WITNESS. For those of you who designate the deponent/witness on the stand as THE WITNESS after colloquy, this is a real timesaver.  The answer symbol will serve both purposes when this option is selected.

3. Pick 1st conflict choice by default. This is also a great timesaver. Use this feature and your RT feed will never display another conflict.  For best results, set up your conflicts so that the most common word is always the first choice. That way, at least 50 to 60% of the time, the choice made by Eclipse will be the correct one.  NOTE:  Checking this box does not override the AI rules Eclipse has already learned.  This feature is only triggered when Eclipse is unable to make a logical guess at a conflict based on the words around it.

4.  Tie related items.  This is a simple check box which will beautify your transcripts as you write by keeping title designations and numbers “tied” to their partners.  Mr. Smith will stay on the same line without the need to define the title with a lockspace {~}.  Dates, addresses, and other digits will tie to the words around them thanks to this small adjustment.  This also means that some number-word combinations will get a lockspace that isn’t strictly necessary, but that’s a small price to pay when you consider all the dictionary and editing time saved.

Perfect Partners Transcript Brigade understands the importance of excellent realtime output right from the start. This continuing series of tips is intended to help reporters supply a more polished realtime feed to those in the room while also making the most effective use of offsite editors during the Connection Magic Shared Editing process. For more information about working with the experienced editors at Perfect Partners Transcript Brigade, please contact us at transcriptbrigade@gmail.com.