# I need the most accurate English to Latin translation

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-the-most-accurate-english-to-latin-translation/944863>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 22, 2021, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-the-most-accurate-english-to-latin-translation/944863 "2021-06-22T22:55:34Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 9\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\
**Post date:** [June 22, 2021, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-the-most-accurate-english-to-latin-translation/944863/1 "2021-06-22T22:55:35Z")

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The phrase I am trying to translate to Latin is “Seize the joy”. I have tried a couple of online translate services and have been given “Carpe gaudium”…but I don’t know whether to trust plug in translators. Is “Carpe gaudium” correct?

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [June 22, 2021, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-the-most-accurate-english-to-latin-translation/944863/2 "2021-06-22T23:03:52Z")

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Looks about right to me. “Gaudium” would be the accusative case, which is the case you want for something that you’re doing something to.

At worst, there are a few different synonyms for each of those words, each with slightly different nuances, but given that “seize the day” is itself a translation of “carpe diem”, I’d say that that’s definitely the word you want, and “gaudium” has about as close a sense to “joy” as you’re going to get (the related “gaudete” is usually translated as “rejoice”).

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**Author:** ![ALOHA\_HATER](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/76d3ee/32.png) [@ALOHA\_HATER](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ALOHA_HATER)\
**Post date:** [June 22, 2021, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-the-most-accurate-english-to-latin-translation/944863/3 "2021-06-22T23:59:04Z")

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I’d go for laititiam carpe.

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**Author:** ![UDS1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e47774/32.png) [@UDS1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS1)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2021, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-the-most-accurate-english-to-latin-translation/944863/4 "2021-06-23T01:03:14Z")

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Laetitia is joy in the sense of gladness; happiness; pleasure; delight.

Gaudium is joy in the sense of rejoicing; celebration. It suggests a greater degree of activity or assertion.

Laetitia is something that happens to you; gaudium is something you do.

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2021, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-the-most-accurate-english-to-latin-translation/944863/5 "2021-06-23T12:21:13Z")

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And “felicitas” is even further in the direction of something that happens to you (it’s usually translated as “luck”, but also has a sense of “happiness”).

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**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2021, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-the-most-accurate-english-to-latin-translation/944863/6 "2021-06-23T12:35:44Z")

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There are further more-or-less general synonyms like hilaritas, voluptas, iucunditas, etc. There is some discussion in e.g _De finibus bonorum et malorum_

for instance voluptas means “laetitiam in animo, commotionem suavem iucunditatis in corpore” and can denote a mental as well as a bodily feeling, while “non dicitur laetitia nec gaudium in corpore”, i.e. those words are not used for bodily sensations.

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**Author:** ![Ynnad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4491bb/32.png) [@Ynnad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ynnad)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2021, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-the-most-accurate-english-to-latin-translation/944863/7 "2021-06-23T13:28:12Z")

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While your at it, does anyone have a good translation for “Seize the carp.”?

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**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2021, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-the-most-accurate-english-to-latin-translation/944863/8 "2021-06-23T13:37:55Z")

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Capta cyprinum (???)

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**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\
**Post date:** [June 23, 2021, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-the-most-accurate-english-to-latin-translation/944863/9 "2021-06-23T14:47:12Z")

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Or maybe more simply “cape cyprinum”, as in take it, catch it.