I’m working on an old murder case. In the folder with an indictment against the prime suspect are several notes written in shorthand, and I’d like to have them translated.
There are lots of different forms of shorthand. Gregs is reasonably common, so is Pitman, and there are others, so you'll need to find out which one you're dealing with before you can get them translated.
Have you worked out which one they are?
Is this non-fiction, an actual case?
Is your in-hand source an investigative file, or a court-of-record file?
If it's an investigative file, make the effort to contact the lead investigator and ascertain who wrote these shorthand notes.
If it's the court's file, contact the Clerk of Court and ascertain the same information.
The best person to decipher the shorthand is the author--period.
Do your best to get this right; shortcuts will enhance the inherent civil liability upon publication. You needn't take my word for it--consult your attorney.
If you're writing fiction, you can pretty much do as you please . . . within reason.
Well, that'll make a difference; you've got considerable leeway. A US case (state)? Did it go to trial? Court records are usually pretty comprehensive. Or is it still an open case (in most jurisdictions, there's no statute of limitations on murder)?
True, but they weren't always the ones doing the transcribing or the only ones who needed to read it.From what I recall from business class (I was there to learn to type - hah!) the problem with shorthand was that no matter the name of the system originally learned, the actual people making the notes tended to adjust the symbols to suit their own purposes/convenience. After all, if they were the ones transcribing the notes, they knew that they meant.