Story Bracknell Midweek News

Translator for deaf people is praised

A Bracknell woman has been nominated for a national award for her work with deaf people.

Julie Whitaker, who quickly translates speech into text using specialised typing machines, has been shortlisted for an award from charity Signature, formerly known as CACDP, which campaigns for better communication to enable deaf people to have full access to all areas of public life.

Mrs Whitaker has been nominated for the Communication Professional of the Year category for her work as a Speech to Text Reporter (STTR), translating court proceedings and other vital information from speech into almost instantly available text on a screen.

She is a partner at Martin's Heron-based agency STTRs Direct and was nominated by one of the other partner's, Lisa Cordaro, who said: "Any problem, Julie's always there to help and she is excellent at the job. She's the best reporter in the country."

Ms Whitaker has been working in the field for more than 20 years and is able to translate more than 200 words per minute.

She was also instrumental in the development of the Association of Verbatim Speech to Text Reporters and helped with Signature's consultation on qualifications for STTRs.

Jim Edwards, Signature's chief executive, said "All of the nominations are truly remarkable and speak volumes for the amazing work happening all over the UK. It will be hard to pick our winners as they all deserve so much credit."

Awards for the winners of the five categories will be presented at a ceremony in London on November 12.

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