Twitch Accessibility

Captions for Hearing-Impaired Twitch Viewers

Add live captions to your Twitch stream so hearing-impaired and deaf viewers can follow every word. Real-time, browser-based, OBS-native. No plugin to install.

Why hearing-impaired Twitch viewers need captions

Twitch's built-in "closed captions" feature only works on a small number of partnered channels — and even those are fragile, language-locked, and don't work on Twitch Mobile or via OBS browser source. Hearing-impaired viewers regularly tell us they leave channels in under 30 seconds when there's no caption track.

StreamTranslate adds reliable captions to ANY Twitch stream — partner, affiliate, or brand-new — by rendering them on the OBS canvas itself. The captions are part of the video, not a separate caption track. They show up everywhere viewers watch.

How to add captions to your Twitch stream

  • Sign up at /control — first 6 hours free, no credit card needed
  • Choose "same-language" mode (your spoken language → captions in the same language)
  • Copy the browser source URL we give you
  • In OBS, add a Browser Source, paste the URL, set width to 1920 and height to 1080
  • Captions appear on your stream in real time as you speak

Most streamers have it working within 60 seconds. Full step-by-step setup guide.

Customization for accessibility

  • Font size — slider goes up to 80px for low-vision viewers
  • Outline thickness — control text outline so it's readable on any background
  • Position — top, bottom, or anywhere in your overlay
  • Color — white on black, yellow on black, or match your brand
  • Word-by-word streaming — captions appear as you speak, not in big chunks

Latency and accuracy

Captions appear under 2 seconds from when you speak. We use Deepgram nova-3 — the same transcription model used in medical and legal contexts. Accuracy on clear speech is >95%. Background music or multiple speakers can reduce accuracy slightly, same as every caption tool.

For deaf viewers especially, that latency matters: captions that lag 5+ seconds are unusable in real-time chat interaction. Our pipeline is optimized for this specifically.

Frequently asked

Does Twitch have built-in captions for hearing-impaired viewers?
Twitch has limited closed-caption support for some partner streams, but it's fragile and language-locked. StreamTranslate burns captions into the stream itself via OBS, so they show up on every device and every Twitch view (including mobile).
Do I need to be a Twitch partner to use this?
No. StreamTranslate works for affiliate, partner, and brand-new Twitch streamers. We're not connected to Twitch's caption system — we render captions in OBS directly.
Can I add captions to a stream I'm already running?
Yes. Just add the browser source mid-stream — captions appear instantly. No need to restart your scene.
Does this affect my stream quality or framerate?
No. All transcription happens in our cloud. Your computer's CPU and GPU are untouched. Stream quality stays exactly the same.
How much does it cost for hearing-impaired captioning?
Stream Pass is $9.99 for one session (up to 12 hours). Starter is $14.99/mo for 25 hours. Pro is $34.99/mo for 50 hours plus dual-language. Full pricing.