What Are Speaker Labels?

Direct definition

Speaker labels are the names or codes written next to each turn in a transcript — “Alex:”, “Speaker 2:”, or “Interviewer:”. They come from diarization, a human, or both.

The sections below explain how speaker labels is used in transcription and subtitle work, what people often mix up, and which VideoText workflow applies when the next step is a file or review pass.

Key takeaways

• Pick one format and keep it consistent (name, role, or Speaker N).
• Style guides specify punctuation and whether labels sit on their own line.
• Wrong labels are a QA failure even if the words are right.

Example

Speaker 1: Did the export include VTT? Speaker 2: Yes, and the SRT.

Related terms

• speaker diarization
• transcript QA
• verbatim transcription
• All glossary terms

Sources

1. Rev: Rev Transcription Style Guide (speaker labels)