"Realtime" as a computer term means "happening right now, in present time." In a deposition or trial setting, realtime programs are a means of having the court reporter's notes made into plain English just seconds after the reporter enters them on their stenographic writer, and then broadcasting this text to the attorneys' computers where it is captured by a special program.

Realtime court reporting is a cooperative venture between the reporter and the attorney. The reporter's computerized transcription system translates the stenographic markings in real time and transmits the text along a cable. The attorney or attorneys present can receive or capture this text using any program designed for this purpose.