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EchoVideo: Adding and Identifying Speakers for Transcripts

Echo360
  • Updated

The look and feel of the Player is changing! Upcoming changes are identified in this article by providing screenshots labeled "Old UI" and "New UI".

In some cases, you, the transcript editor, may want to identify different speakers in the transcript. Speaker names are currently shown in the transcript panel for media viewed OUTSIDE of EchoVideo. This includes public media links posted for widespread viewing, and videos or interactive media posted in an LMS / VLE window.

The automated transcription providers attempt to identify DIFFERENT speakers in the transcript. These identifiers are shown as Speaker 0, Speaker 1, Speaker 2, etc in the automated transcript.

This means that in the Transcript Editor, applying accurate speaker information involves one or more of the following tasks:

  • Editing the speaker defaults to the names of the actual speakers
  • Adding speakers to the list of names to choose from
  • Selecting or changing the Speaker for each cue as needed
  • Deleting speakers from the list if not needed

Editing Selectable Speakers for a Transcript

You may need to edit the speakers in your selectable list, particularly if you have the automated speaker name defaults mentioned above. Or if you added a list of speakers before you began editing but were not sure of everyone's name initially, you may have entered a placeholder instead.

Editing the Speaker Name in the list applies this change to ALL CUES where this speaker is identified.

For example, the automated transcript may come back with the instructor identified as "Speaker 0". Using the below procedure, if you change "Speaker 0" to "Dr. Lostizwits", all cues labeled as Speaker 0 will change to show Dr. Lostizwits as the speaker. 

To edit transcript speakers from the available list:

  1. In the transcript editor, click Edit Transcript to enter editing mode if needed.
  2. Click the Speaker marker for ANY cue.
  3. Select Edit Speakers from the menu as shown in the below figure.

    Old UI

    Transcript editor with speaker button selected and Edit Speakers option identified for steps as described

    New UI

    Transcript editor with speaker button selected and Edit Speakers option identified for steps as described
  4. In the Edit Speakers list, click the Edit button (pencil icon) located to the right of the speaker you want to edit or delete.

    Old UI

    Edit Speakers list with edit button identified for editing or deleting speaker as described

    New UI

    Edit Speakers list with edit button identified for editing or deleting speaker as described

    The Edit button changes to show a Delete button (trash can) or a Checkbox to indicate you have finished your changes.

  5. Select and change the text in the Speaker text box, then click the Checkmark.

    Old UI

    Edit speakers list with edit mode on and accept changes or delete speaker button shown

    New UI

    Edit speakers list with edit mode on and accept changes or delete speaker button shown
  6. Alternately, to delete a speaker, click the Delete button (trash can).
  7. Repeat for any other changes you want to make to the available Speakers list.
  8. When finished, click Done.

After making the edit to the speaker name, notice that all of the cues that had been tagged with the original speaker (in this case, Speaker 0) are now tagged with the name given to that speaker.

Old UI

Transcript showing replacement of Speaker 0 with James Burke as speaker for all cues as described

New UI

Transcript showing replacement of Speaker 0 with James Burke as speaker for all cues as described

Adding Speakers to Select List for Cues

If you know that the automated transcript does not identify enough different speakers, or you have an older transcript that did not identify different speakers, you can others to the Speakers list. If you do this before starting to edit the cue text, you can simply select each speaker as appropriate, while you are listening and editing the cues.

As noted above, you can also edit an existing speaker which will then apply that change to all cues where that speaker has already been identified. However, if you only want to apply a speaker to SOME of the identified cues, add the speaker to the list and select them for each cue as appropriate.

To add a speaker to the speaker selection list:

  1. With the Transcript Editor open, click Edit Transcript.
  2. Click the Speaker marker for ANY cue.

  3. Old UI

    Transcript editor with Speaker button selected and Edit Speakers option identified for steps as described

    New UI

    Transcript editor with Speaker button selected and Edit Speakers option identified for steps as described
    Select Edit Speakers from the menu as shown in the below figure.

    The Edit Speakers box appears. If there are no speakers already associated with this transcript, your only option is to Add a speaker. Any existing speakers will be listed above the Add a new speaker text box.

  4. In the Add a new speaker text box, type in the name or identifier of the speaker.

    Old UI

    Edit speakers dialog box with add a new speaker text entered and Add button identified for steps as described

    New UI

    Edit speakers dialog box with add a new speaker text entered and Add button identified for steps as described
  5. Click Add. The new speaker appears in the top section of the Edit Speakers box.

    Old UI

    Edit speakers dialog box with new speaker identified in the speakers list as described

    New UI

    Edit speakers dialog box with new speaker identified in the speakers list as described
  6. Repeat these two steps to add more speakers to the transcript. This allows them to be selected as needed while you are editing.
  7. When finished, click Done.

The newly added speaker is now available to select for any cue in the transcript, as shown in the below figure.

Old UI

Select speaker drop down list with newly added speaker shown for selection as described

New UI

Select speaker drop down list with newly added speaker shown for selection as described

Applying a Speaker to a Transcript Cue

You may apply speaker identifiers to each cue as needed or to only the first cue of a particular speaker's set of speech. See Editing Selectable Speakers for a Transcript at the top of this page to CHANGE the name of an existing identified speaker, and apply that change to ALL the cues for which they are tagged.

To apply a speaker to a transcript cue:

  1. In the transcript editor, click Edit Transcript to enter editing mode if needed.
  2. Find the cue whose speaker you need to identify, and click Speaker.
  3. Select the speaker you want from the list, as shown in the below figure.

    Old UI

    Transcript editor with speaker button menu and available speakers to select identified for steps as described

    New UI

    Transcript editor with speaker button menu and available speakers to select identified for steps as described

Once added, the cue now shows the speaker name / identifier you selected. Repeat these steps as needed while you edit the transcript.

Old UI

Transcription with speaker identified for a cue as described

New UI

Transcription with speaker identified for a cue as described

Deleting Speakers for a Transcript

You may want to delete the speakers associated with a transcript. Leaving them in the list does not harm anything and those speaker names only show up if they are applied to a cue. REMOVING them, however, will also remove that speaker assignment from any and all cues where it occurs in this transcript.

NOTE that if you enter a speaker to the list, but do not use it for any of the cues, that speaker is not retained with the transcript. The next time you or some other user opens the transcript in the editor, any unused names no longer appear.

To delete transcript speakers from the available list:

  1. In the transcript editor, click Edit Transcript to enter editing mode if needed.
  2. Click the Speaker marker for ANY cue.
  3. Select Edit Speakers from the menu as shown in the below figure.

    Old UI

    Transcript editor with speaker button selected and Edit Speakers option identified for steps as described

    New UI

    Transcript editor with speaker button selected and Edit Speakers option identified for steps as described
  4. In the Edit Speakers list, click the Edit button (pencil icon) located to the right of the speaker you want to edit or delete.

    Old UI

    Edit Speakers list with edit button identified for editing or deleting speaker as described

    New UI

    Edit Speakers list with edit button identified for editing or deleting speaker as described

    The Edit button changes to show a Delete button (trash can) or a Checkbox to indicate you have finished your changes.

  5. Ensure this is the speaker you want to remove, then click Delete, as shown in the below figure.

    Old UI

    Edit speakers list in edit mode on and delete speaker button identified as described

    New UI

    Edit speakers list in edit mode on and delete speaker button identified as described
  6. Repeat for any other changes you want to make to the available Speakers list.
  7. When finished, click Done.

The deleted speaker no longer appears in the selectable list. IN ADDITION, any cues that had the deleted speaker assigned will no longer have an assigned speaker, and that cue returns to a default assignment of "Speaker".

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