This article explains why consistent speaker naming matters, and how Limecraft makes it easy to update speaker labels across entire transcripts—saving you time and improving clarity.
When using Limecraft’s AI-powered speech-to-text tools, the transcripts are automatically segmented and assigned speaker labels like “S1”, “S2”, and so on. These labels are generated on a best-effort basis to differentiate speakers, but they don’t reflect who’s actually speaking. For interviews, panel discussions, or verbatim transcription of meetings, it’s often important to identify speakers by name instead of generic labels.
Why Update Speaker Labels?
Generic speaker tags are great for speed, but fall short when the transcript is being used for:
- Creating Subtitles for Deaf and Hard of Hearing (SDH)
- Compliance review
- Editing or preparing quotes
- Script-based editing and rough cut assembly
Manually changing speaker names one by one isn’t realistic in a long transcript. That’s why we provide the ability to relabel speakers consistently throughout the entire transcription.
How It Works
Limecraft allows you to edit and rename speakers globally:
- Activate Edit Mode
First, switch from ‘View’ to ‘Edit’ mode in the Transcript Editor to unlock editing options. - Display the Speaker Editor
Navigate to any segment, and choose “Edit Speaker”. - Rename Once, Apply Everywhere
When you change “S1” to “Anna”, all instances of “S1” in the transcript are updated automatically. Note that the auto-suggest function prioritises speakers in this transcript first, followed by speakers identified in other clips in the same workspace earlier. Don't forget to "Save Speaker Name". - Verify Consistency
In case a speaker is recognised more than once in the transcription, you can use the "Next Paragraph" function to check if all speakers are correctly named. If necessary, reassign or merge speakers.
- Go to Next Speaker
In the speaker editor pop-up, use the "Right" function to navigate to the next speaker in the order of appearance.
Tips for Best Results
- Start with speaker identification before fixing word errors or punctuation. It’s faster and prevents extra work later.
- Use confidence scores to focus only on verified speaker segments when relabeling.
- Work top-down as part of a structured post-editing workflow (see: 4 Steps to Efficiently Post-Edit AI Transcripts).