Re: International Shorthand

Joachim Pense wrote:

I know there is a parlament stenographer in the German language group,
so I added it, with f'up2 here.

Here I am. I work at the parliament of Lower Saxony, using shorthand
(Deutsche Einheitskurzschrift) every day.

Some questions that came up (see below for more detail) were:
- How does Deutsche Einheitskurzschrift applied to English work?

DEK is most useful for German, because it was made for this language with
its many consonants. However, for those who have learned DEK there are
adaptations to various languages. The best known for English is
"German-English Shorthand" by Lege and Bäse, edited by Winklers Verlag
<http://www.winklers.de/> and also available at <http://www.amazon.de/>.
Such an adaptation includes symbols for consonants that do not appear in
German, for example "th". It also offers special symbols for frequent words
such as "and", "have" etc.

For those who don't already know DEK and need a shorthand just for English
and not for German, it's probably better for learn a system designed for
English. The most well known systems for English are Gregg's and Pitman's.

- Is Gabelsberger's system just an adaptation of Pitman's or was it a
completely new system just using some basic ideas of Pitman?

Gabelsberger's system was first published in 1834, Pitman's only in 1837.

- Does there exist a monography or other source on the modern
international history of stenography?

There are several books about shorthand history, but I must admit I haven't
read any of them yet. See
<http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurzschrift#Literatur> for some German
language monographies.

- How is Stenography taught in Germany today? Is it still part of the
curriculum of the Hauptschulen (and was it ever?)

Stenography was traditionally taught in schools preparing for office
professions, for example Handelsschulen. However, it has disappeared from
the curricula. If you don't want to teach yourself using a book (which can
be quite hard if you have nobody to ask in case of doubt), try to find an
evening course at your local Volkshochschule (which is a German adult
education institution) or Stenografenverein (shorthand club). However the
number of such courses was significantly dropped in the last ten or twenty
years, because hardly anyone still needs shorthand for their (office)
profession and shorthand is now largely a hobby thing.

However stenographers are still needed for documenting sessions, especially
at parliaments. There are about 150 to 200 professional stenographers in
Germany; most of them work for the parliaments. Bundestag, Bundesrat and
eleven of the sixteen regional parliaments still have their own
Stenografischer Dienst (stenography service) making protocols for all kinds
of sessions, plenary or committee.

- Are Stenographers in Germany still encouraged to write in a way that
their notes can be read by other people as well?

Yes. Keeping to the standard not only makes it possible for other people to
read what you have written; it also avoids ambiguities that can easily turn
up if you change the system in your personal way.

I can still read all of what I have written in shorthand, and I can also
easily read what my mother has written more than 25 years ago.

- Does the English rule that a stenographer should transcribe his
notes within two days, because otherwise he wouldn't be able to read
his own notes, also apply to German stenography?

I doubt if this is a rule for English shorthand. At least for German, this
rule does not apply. If your handwriting is not very clear (for example
when you had to write very fast), it is of course easier to read your notes
when you still have in mind what everything was about. But clearly written
texts can still be read after decades. In Germany, there are even people
specializing in reading vintage notes written in obsolete shorthand
systems, for example by World War II soldiers.

Yours,
Robert Weemeyer

parliament stenographer
Hanover, Germany
.