WCAG 2.1 AA requires live captions for synchronized media. StreamTranslate satisfies Success Criterion 1.2.4 with our industry-leading speech AI accuracy via OBS browser source — here's what you need to know.
Add WCAG-Compliant CaptionsThe Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 include specific requirements for live audio and video content. For live streaming, the key criterion is Success Criterion 1.2.4 — Captions (Live) at Level AA.
SC 1.2.4 states: "Captions are provided for all live audio content in synchronized media." In plain terms: if you're streaming live video with audio — a live event, webinar, conference, or broadcast — and you're required to meet WCAG 2.1 AA, you need real-time captions.
WCAG 2.1 AA is the standard referenced by most accessibility laws globally: the European Accessibility Act, the UK Equality Act, Section 508 in the United States, and AODA in Canada all reference WCAG 2.1 AA as the technical standard. Meeting WCAG 2.1 AA for live streaming means implementing compliant real-time captions.
WCAG 2.1 Level AA requires captions for all live synchronized media — the standard referenced by most global accessibility laws.
StreamTranslate delivers real-time captions synchronized to your audio stream — meeting the "synchronized media" requirement of SC 1.2.4.
Accurate captions that faithfully represent spoken content — a core requirement for WCAG compliance that generic tools often fail to meet on complex audio.
To satisfy WCAG 2.1 SC 1.2.4, a live captioning solution must provide real-time captions that accurately represent the audio content, appear synchronously with the speech, and are visible to viewers of the live stream.
StreamTranslate meets all three requirements. Captions are generated by our industry-leading speech AI in real time — typically within 1-2 seconds of speech — and delivered as a browser source overlay in OBS. When the stream goes live, viewers see captions directly embedded in the video, synchronized to the speaker's words.
For organizations that need WCAG compliance documentation, StreamTranslate's architecture is straightforward to document: it is a real-time speech-to-text captioning layer delivered as an OBS browser source, powered by our industry-leading speech AI, supporting 125+ languages. The captions are baked into the stream output, not a separate opt-in feature.
Organizations in government, education, healthcare, and financial services that operate live streaming services should evaluate StreamTranslate as their WCAG compliance captioning layer. See the setup guide or contact us about volume pricing for enterprise or institutional use.
WCAG 2.1 Success Criterion 1.2.4 (Captions — Live) at Level AA requires that live audio-only content or synchronized media include captions.
Yes. StreamTranslate delivers synchronized, real-time captions via OBS browser source using our industry-leading speech AI, satisfying WCAG 2.1 SC 1.2.4 requirements for live captioning.
Government websites, educational institutions, healthcare organizations, financial services, and any organization subject to accessibility regulations must meet WCAG 2.1 AA for online video.
WCAG 2.1 AA (SC 1.2.4) requires captions for live video. AAA adds extended audio descriptions and sign language interpretation. Most legal requirements only mandate AA.
WCAG itself doesn't specify a numeric accuracy rate, but captions must accurately convey the content. our industry-leading speech AI via StreamTranslate delivers accuracy that consistently satisfies this requirement for live content.