When is it appropriate for a court reporter to use "inaudible" in a transcript?

Using "inaudible" in a transcript is appropriate when a speaker's words cannot be accurately heard or understood. This situation often arises due to various factors such as unclear speech, muffled audio quality, or interruptions that prevent the reporter from discerning what was said. The primary responsibility of a court reporter is to provide an accurate and verbatim record of the proceedings, and when the audio is not clear enough to faithfully capture the dialogue, "inaudible" serves as a necessary notation to convey that certain portions of the record are missing due to those circumstances.

While it may seem like legal jargon or noise could lead to confusion, these situations are typically manageable with context or appropriate clarification by the parties involved. Additionally, the ability of the reporter to type quickly, while essential for capturing spoken testimony, does not influence the designation of "inaudible." The focus in this scenario is purely on the integrity and clarity of the spoken content, which is why this is the correct context for using "inaudible."