The distinction between steno and shorthand is nil. We only offer one course named "stenography." However, there are several types of shorthand: medical, technical, commercial, and general. In addition to these four main categories, we also use the term "dactylography" (the recording of fingerprints) and "suicide shorthand" (a method used by journalists to publish important news stories). All of these methods are variations on a theme invented in the mid-19th century by a French lawyer named Émile Zola. He called this new form of shorthand writing "la stenographie," which means "stenography" or "the art of writing with a stencil." Today, this word is often used as an adjective to describe any kind of written record containing shorthand notes. So, stenography is the art of writing with a stencil. Shorthand is one type of stencil writing system. Stenography includes all types of shorthand systems except oral communications systems such as radio talk shows or voice messages left on answering machines. Oral communications systems use a completely different process called transcription to create a verifiable record of words spoken by speakers other than the stenographer.