Which statement best describes the purpose of timestamps in the transcript workflow?

• A. To identify the speaker in each utterance.
• B. To provide a summary of the hearing.
• C. To mark the duration of the entire recording.
• D. To record precise time marks for each utterance to enable synchronization with audio.

Answer: (D)

Timestamps anchor each spoken utterance to an exact moment in the recording, enabling precise synchronization between the transcript and the audio. This makes it possible to jump directly to the place in the recording where a statement was made, verify what was said, and align the transcript with video or exhibits. It also supports accurate searching, playback navigation, and verification across multiple copies because you know the exact time each line occurred. This function isn’t about identifying who spoke—that’s handled by speaker labels—and it isn’t about summarizing the hearing—that’s a separate deliverable. It also isn’t only about the total length of the recording; a single duration wouldn’t let you locate or verify specific passages.