What is the difference between a transcript timestamp and a subtitle cue time?

A transcript timestamp is a navigation aid: it tells a reader roughly when a passage occurred. A subtitle cue time is a display instruction with a start and an end, and it has to be frame-accurate enough for the text to appear while the words are being spoken.

How often should timestamps appear?

Whatever the client brief says. If there is no brief, every speaker change is the safest default for conversational content and every 30 seconds for single-speaker recordings.

Do timestamps affect word count or billing?

They are usually excluded from word counts, but confirm it, because some marketplaces count them and some strip them before counting.

Can timestamps be added to an existing transcript?

Only if the timing data still exists. Once a transcript has been exported as plain text the alignment to audio is gone, and re-timing means running the audio again or placing marks by hand.

Definition

What Is a Timestamp in a Transcript?

VideoText editorial team. Updated September 13, 2026.

Direct definition

A timestamp is a time marker placed in a transcript to show when a span of speech occurred. Intervals (every 30 seconds, every speaker change) are a client rule, not a property of ASR.

The sections below explain how timestamp 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

Transcript timestamps are navigation; subtitle cue times are display schedules.
State the interval in the job brief.
Inconsistent placement is a frequent marketplace rejection.

Example

[00:12:40] Speaker 2: We should export VTT as well as SRT.

How intervals are chosen

Most clients specify one of three patterns: a mark at every speaker change, a mark at a fixed interval such as every 30 seconds or every two minutes, or a mark only at section boundaries. The choice is editorial, not technical — the recogniser produces word-level timings regardless, and the transcript formatter decides which of them to print.

Fixed-interval stamps suit long single-speaker recordings such as lectures, where there is no speaker change to anchor to. Speaker-change stamps suit interviews and panels, where the useful navigation unit is the turn rather than the clock.

How to check placement before delivery

Read down the left margin only. Stamps should appear at a regular rhythm for interval-based jobs, or once per turn for speaker-based ones, with no clusters and no long gaps. A stamp that drifts out of pattern usually means a turn was merged or split during editing.

Check that the format matches the brief exactly, including whether hours are included and whether brackets or parentheses are used. [00:12:40] and 00:12:40 are different deliverables to a client running an automated import.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a transcript timestamp and a subtitle cue time?: A transcript timestamp is a navigation aid: it tells a reader roughly when a passage occurred. A subtitle cue time is a display instruction with a start and an end, and it has to be frame-accurate enough for the text to appear while the words are being spoken.
How often should timestamps appear?: Whatever the client brief says. If there is no brief, every speaker change is the safest default for conversational content and every 30 seconds for single-speaker recordings.
Do timestamps affect word count or billing?: They are usually excluded from word counts, but confirm it, because some marketplaces count them and some strip them before counting.
Can timestamps be added to an existing transcript?: Only if the timing data still exists. Once a transcript has been exported as plain text the alignment to audio is gone, and re-timing means running the audio again or placing marks by hand.

Related terms

Sources

Rev: Rev Transcription Style Guide (timestamps)