StreamTranslateFor a recording-only workflow, choose between capturing visible caption text in the OBS scene and creating a separate timed subtitle file. StreamTranslate’s Browser Source can be evaluated as a visible scene output, but verify a short local recording first. Do not assume its audio plugin creates embedded CC or SRT files.
Decide whether captions should be editable later
Visible captions are pixels in the finished video. They work wherever that video plays, but a spelling correction normally requires another render from the source. A separate subtitle file can be edited and translated independently, provided your editor or hosting platform supports it.
If your goal is a polished tutorial, keeping a clean recording and adding reviewed subtitles afterward may be easier. If viewers need captions during a live session that you also record, an overlay can serve that immediate need. Keep an uncaptioned master where your recording arrangement allows it.
Understand what each OBS component does
An audio source or audio filter supplies the speech. The StreamTranslate Browser Source displays caption output in an OBS scene; it does not capture your microphone by itself. A caption preview in Control confirms processing but does not prove that the recording contains the same view.
Other caption plugins may offer their own transcript and recording features. A long-running OBS caption plugin discussion illustrates why recording activation, output selection and transcript filenames need separate checks. Its historical settings are not instructions for StreamTranslate or proof that every current plugin exports the same formats.
Make a controlled recording test
- Use a separate OBS test scene with the intended microphone and a harmless visual background.
- Configure caption input using the StreamTranslate setup guide and confirm speech appears in Control.
- Add the Browser Source output to that scene, above the background, and check its size.
- Record a short passage with a pause, a number and a proper name. Do not start a public broadcast for this check.
- Stop recording and open the saved file in an ordinary media player.
Confirm that your chosen caption input remains active in this recording-only setup. If it depends on a stream-active condition, do not work around that by broadcasting unintentionally.
Diagnose the saved result rather than the preview
If Control has words but the video does not, inspect the recorded scene, source visibility, layer order and crop. Check whether you recorded a different scene from the one shown in preview. If the Browser Source is blank too, review its URL and the caption session before changing recording settings.
If words appear twice, look for both an overlay and another caption-rendering source. If you expect a selectable subtitle track, inspect the player’s subtitle controls separately: text visible in the picture is not evidence of an embedded track. Keep these failure types distinct when reporting a problem.
Use recorded-video processing when review matters most
For an existing recording, Video & VOD Translator provides a separate upload-and-review route. Choose the required languages and check the per-video price before processing. Its subtitle-file option must be selected before processing if you want SRT, VTT and a transcript in addition to the subtitled result.
For a long tutorial, test a representative sample first. Review sentence breaks, slide changes and demonstrations where the speaker stops talking. Captions should not cover interface controls that the viewer needs to see, and an old sentence should not remain over an unrelated step.
Quick answers
Must I start streaming to record captions?
No public broadcast should be necessary for a recording task, but the caption tool’s activation rules must support your recording setup. Verify that behaviour with a short test.
Does StreamTranslate’s OBS plugin create subtitle files?
Do not assume that. Its documented role is audio input; the Browser Source is a separate display. Recorded-video processing has its own subtitle-file options.
Why are captions visible in a dock but absent from my recording?
A dock is an operator view, not automatically part of the scene. Check the actual recorded scene and the output type configured in your caption tool.
Continue with your setup
Sources and further reading
Reviewed October 28, 2026. Follow the linked provider instructions for current availability and setup requirements.