In this contribution the specific example of the transcript of a court proceeding is used to emphasise the importance of speech and its transcription to communication and functioning in contemporary society. In the Constitution, Slovene is stated as the official language of the Republic of Slovenia, which in the case of the most demanding texts through which citizens can play a full legal role in society necessarily involves mastery of the standard language, which is co-dependent on the written language code. The specific analyses of court recordings presented show that the reality of speech in court proceedings is often far from the standard and even comprehensibility. The paper clarifies the reasons for this and ascer - tains that, in spite of the desire for the more rapid and efficient work of judges, the use of technical aids does not always help in this regard, partly because of the lack of instructions on how to transcribe the speech recorded in court.
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