The Beauty of Shorthand
The Beauty of Shorthand
By Natalia G. Martínez (author of the poems “Where the Sign Breathes”, “Academias Pitman”, “Calligraphy and Shorthand”, and of the poetic epigraphs for the blogs La Taquigrafía and Shorthand Calligraphy)
Martín Córdoba discovered that within shorthand signs, so simple and often underestimated, there dwells an aesthetic universe. Where others see only speed and technique, he perceives rhythm, cadence, formal beauty, and silence transformed into art. His vision turns each stroke into a story, each sign into contemplation, and reveals that pencil shorthand is a graphic language capable of moving even those of us who do not know its code. And within this same journey, writing also becomes craft and transmission, sustained by a practice in which teaching and the precision of recording silently accompany that other, more contemplative dimension of the signs.
How to Read His Writings
Martín Córdoba writes from the experience of someone who has made shorthand and calligraphy a dedication to the art of the stroke. Each line he shares reflects years of discipline and learning, and arises from a story of overcoming physical limitations.
His texts are not only technique or history: they are windows into a world where every word, every sign, and every space tells a story. They celebrate precision, beauty, and show how passion and perseverance can turn challenges into legacy.
Reading his writings is more than reading words: it is feeling the music of the signs, appreciating the harmony of each gesture, and discovering the strength of a dedication to caring for what others might dismiss as simple. It is approaching someone who teaches us that handwriting can be an act of creativity, of memory, and of poetry.
His writings include: articles, recommendations, notes and brief opinions, letters, poetry, and shorthand calligraphy sheets. All of this reflects the practice, teaching, and dissemination of shorthand and calligraphy throughout his career.
Profile of Martín E. Córdoba
Former parliamentary stenographer at the Legislature of Tucumán (1996-2012) and the National Senate of Argentina (2012-2016), former Pitman Shorthand teacher, and shorthand calligrapher. He was born with several motor disabilities: amputation of the left forearm with absence of the hand, absence of the left foot, and malformations in all the fingers of the right hand. He studied at Academias Pitman, where he obtained the titles of Taquígrafo (Tucumán, February 1994) and Técnico en Taquigrafía Parlamentaria (Montevideo, Uruguay, January 2009), as well as a certificate in Calligraphy (Tucumán, April 1995).
Among his contributions to shorthand and calligraphy, as well as to the promotion and dissemination of handwriting, he presented projects to the Secretariat of Education of Tucumán (2004) and to the Legislature of Tucumán (2005) to promote and disseminate the teaching of shorthand; taught shorthand courses at the Círculo del Magisterio de Tucumán (since 2003); was a stenographer of sacred oratory at the Orthodox Parish of Asunción de María Santísima in Tucumán (2006-2011); became Ibero-American runner-up in shorthand/stenotyping (6th International Congress of Parliamentary and Judicial Shorthand, Buenos Aires 2010); achieved 5th place in the general classification —among the 48 classified competitors— and 1st place in Spanish at the World Championship of Taquigrafía a Lápiz (48th Intersteno Congress Paris 2011); produced the CD and cassette series Práctica taquigráfica (between 2004 and 2012); is author of the Manual de gramálogos parlamentarios (declared of legislative interest, resolution no. 29/2010); developed the original concept of Caligrafía Taquigráfica (2010); created the blogs La Taquigrafía, Caligrafía Taquigráfica (a multilingual proposal available in English, French, Portuguese, German, and Italian), Pencil Shorthand, and Caligrafía Pitman; he is the author of specialized outreach articles and a letter on the history and teaching of Academias Pitman in Argentina, highlighting its courses, its shorthand and calligraphy tradition, its cultural magazine, and its educational legacy; he has also written letters and outreach articles aimed at advocating for and promoting shorthand and handwriting, emphasizing their educational and cultural value, developing shorthand calligraphy as an art form, and preserving practices such as handwritten letters and personal diaries.
Awards and Distinctions
Honorary certification from the University of San Pablo T, certificate no. 2604/E (Tucumán, December 4, 2010).
Inti Kay Honor Mention
(Tucumán, December 13, 2010).
Recognition diploma and
commemorative plaque from the Legislature of Tucumán, resolution no. 297/2010
(Tucumán, December 16, 2010).
Recognition diploma for 15 years of service in the Legislature of Tucumán (Tucumán, July 2011).
Honor Diploma from Revista El Puente (Tucumán,
December 6, 2011).
Commemorative plaque from the Chamber of Deputies of the Nation, order of the day no. 537, resolution approved on August 22, 2012 (Tucumán, December 27, 2012).
Examples of some of their notable and already published writings:
“My Beginnings as a Parliamentary Shorthand Writer” (Pencil Shorthand blog).
“Shorthand Course” (La Taquigrafía blog).
“Books Written in Shorthand and Published by Sir Isaac Pitman” (La Taquigrafía blog).
“Academias Pitman: Parliamentary Shorthand and the Educational Work of Juan María Jan” (Medium).
“Calligraphy Course taught by Academias Pitman of Argentina” (Medium).
“Shorthand Calligraphy: The Art of Writing Signs that Breathe” (Shorthand Calligraphy blog).
“Sheets Written in Shorthand for Reading Practice and Visual Appreciation” (La Taquigrafía blog).
“Epigraphs for Shorthand Calligraphy” (Shorthand Calligraphy blog).
“Courses Taught by Academias Pitman of Argentina” (Medium).
“The Holy Bible Written in Shorthand” (La Taquigrafía blog).
“Revista Pitman: The Cultural Voice of Academias Pitman of Argentina” (Medium).
“Calligraphy and Shorthand: A Tradition That Should Return” (Medium).
“Academias Pitman of Argentina: Tradition and Educational Legacy” (Medium).“Shorthand Calligraphy: When Signs Become Art” (Medium).
“Calligraphy and Shorthand” (poetry) (Medium).
“Songs Written in Shorthand Calligraphy” (Medium).
“Handwriting: a pencil, a vocation” (letter) (Medium).
“With Her (Stenography)” (Shorthand Calligraphy blog).
“Handwriting: the value of letters in digital times” (letter) (Medium).
“Calligraphy Course taught by Academias Pitman (Companion Article)” (Medium).
“Personal Journaling and Handwriting: Traces That Endure” (letter) (Medium).“Shorthand calligraphy is an artistic form of writing in shorthand, where the signs are not used for speed or transcription purposes, but as visual elements. Each stroke is carefully crafted using techniques from traditional calligraphy, aiming for harmony, clarity, and beauty. This practice transforms shorthand into a contemplative visual experience, one that can be appreciated even without understanding the system” (Martín Córdoba).
This article is also available in Spanish.
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