diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 034d240cd..2dbc7bf58 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 * [#2960](https://github.com/ruby-grape/grape/pull/2960): Lint every response of an API once under `lint!`, including the router's 404 and mounted Rack apps, instead of inside each endpoint's stack - [@ericproulx](https://github.com/ericproulx).
 * [#2966](https://github.com/ruby-grape/grape/pull/2966): Require Ruby 3.3.1, the first 3.3 release that parses anonymous argument forwarding from inside a block - [@ericproulx](https://github.com/ericproulx).
 * [#3008](https://github.com/ruby-grape/grape/pull/3008): Add the grape-on-rack app as a live-server memory profiling harness - [@ericproulx](https://github.com/ericproulx).
+* [#3019](https://github.com/ruby-grape/grape/pull/3019): Add the `eager_load_i18n` setting to load I18n translations when an API is compiled - [@ericproulx](https://github.com/ericproulx).
 * [#3025](https://github.com/ruby-grape/grape/pull/3025): Add `:md` and `:markdown` formatters that render an object's `to_markdown`, for APIs that declare a `text/markdown` content type - [@ericproulx](https://github.com/ericproulx).
 * [#3029](https://github.com/ruby-grape/grape/pull/3029): Add a built-in `:jsonl` (JSON Lines) format that streams an Enumerator body - [@ericproulx](https://github.com/ericproulx).
 * Your contribution here.
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 8723ca5e4..8bff394cd 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -133,6 +133,8 @@ Twitter::API.compile!
 
 This can be added to your `config.ru` (if using rackup), `application.rb` (if using rails), or any file that loads your server.
 
+Outside Rails, compiling can also load I18n's translations. See [I18n](#i18n).
+
 ### Rack
 
 The above sample creates a Rack application that can be run from a rackup `config.ru` file with `rackup`:
@@ -582,6 +584,7 @@ Currently the configurable settings are:
 * `param_builder`: Sets the [Parameter Builder](#parameters), defaults to `:hash_with_indifferent_access`.
 * `lint`: Checks every response against Rack's specification, defaults to `false`. See [Linting](#linting).
 * `warn_on_helper_overrides`: Warns when a helper method masks a `Grape::Endpoint` instance method, defaults to `false`.
+* `eager_load_i18n`: Loads I18n's translations when an API is compiled rather than on the first lookup, usually the first error response, defaults to `false`. Rails already does this when `config.eager_load` is on. See [I18n](#i18n).
 * `raise_rendering_errors`: Lets an error response that cannot be rendered propagate out of the middleware stack instead of being answered with a failsafe `500`, defaults to `false`. See [When the error response itself cannot be rendered](#when-the-error-response-itself-cannot-be-rendered).
 
 To change a setting value make sure that at some point during load time the following code runs
@@ -1999,6 +2002,18 @@ Grape supports I18n for parameter-related error messages, but will fallback to E
 
 In case your app enforces available locales only and :en is not included in your available locales, Grape cannot fall back to English and will return the translation key for the error message. To avoid this behaviour, either provide a translation for your default locale or add :en to your available locales.
 
+I18n reads its translations on the first lookup, which is usually the first error response a process answers. In Rails, the application loads them at boot whenever `config.eager_load` is on, as it is in production, so there is nothing to set. Elsewhere, turn on `eager_load_i18n` to have compiling an API load them, and compile at boot:
+
+```ruby
+Grape.configure do |config|
+  config.eager_load_i18n = true
+end
+
+Twitter::API.compile!
+```
+
+Call `compile!` after your own locale files are on `I18n.load_path`: a file appended later (`I18n.load_path << path`) is read only after `I18n.reload!`, while assigning the path (`I18n.load_path += [path]`) reloads the translations at once.
+
 Custom validators that inherit from `Grape::Validations::Validators::Base` have access to a `translate` helper (see `Grape::Util::Translation`) and should use it instead of calling `I18n` directly. It applies the same `:en` fallback as built-in validators, defaults `scope` to `'grape.errors.messages'`, and handles interpolation without needing `format`:
 
 ```ruby
diff --git a/benchmark/grape_on_rack/config.ru b/benchmark/grape_on_rack/config.ru
index d39ed387b..a37b267cb 100644
--- a/benchmark/grape_on_rack/config.ru
+++ b/benchmark/grape_on_rack/config.ru
@@ -11,6 +11,10 @@ Dir[File.expand_path('api/*.rb', __dir__)].each { |file| require file }
 require_relative 'app/api'
 require_relative 'app/acme_app'
 
+Grape.configure do |config|
+  config.eager_load_i18n = true
+end
+
 Acme::API.compile!
 
 run Acme::App.instance
diff --git a/lib/grape.rb b/lib/grape.rb
index 200614f66..0eaab456b 100644
--- a/lib/grape.rb
+++ b/lib/grape.rb
@@ -61,6 +61,11 @@ module Grape
   # Let an error response that cannot be rendered propagate out of the
   # middleware stack instead of being answered with a failsafe 500.
   setting :raise_rendering_errors, default: false
+  # Load I18n's translations when an API is compiled instead of on the first
+  # lookup, usually the first error response. Off by default: Rails, where
+  # Grape is most often mounted, loads them itself when config.eager_load is
+  # on and keeps them lazy otherwise.
+  setting :eager_load_i18n, default: false
 
   # The HTTP QUERY method (RFC 10008): a safe, idempotent request whose content
   # carries the query. Rack has no constant for it yet, hence the literal.
diff --git a/lib/grape/api/instance.rb b/lib/grape/api/instance.rb
index 1c84209d2..74628372d 100644
--- a/lib/grape/api/instance.rb
+++ b/lib/grape/api/instance.rb
@@ -104,6 +104,7 @@ def inherited(subclass)
       # Builds the routes from the defined endpoints, effectively compiling
       # this API into a usable form.
       def initialize
+        eager_load_i18n if Grape.config[:eager_load_i18n]
         @router = Router.new
         add_head_not_allowed_methods_and_options_methods
         self.class.endpoints.each do |endpoint|
@@ -157,6 +158,15 @@ def cascade?
 
       private
 
+      # I18n reads its files on the first lookup, which would be the first
+      # error a process answers. A backend that does not inherit
+      # I18n::Backend::Base, or one from an older i18n, may have no
+      # +eager_load!+, and is left to load on that first lookup.
+      def eager_load_i18n
+        backend = I18n.backend
+        backend.eager_load! if backend.respond_to?(:eager_load!)
+      end
+
       # For every resource add a 'OPTIONS' route that returns an HTTP 204 response
       # with a list of HTTP methods that can be called. Also add a route that
       # will return an HTTP 405 response for any HTTP method that the resource
diff --git a/spec/grape/api_spec.rb b/spec/grape/api_spec.rb
index 16ca087de..b6b36e3c5 100644
--- a/spec/grape/api_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/grape/api_spec.rb
@@ -7,6 +7,66 @@
 
   let(:app) { subject }
 
+  describe 'loading translations' do
+    around do |example|
+      backend = I18n.backend
+      I18n.backend = I18n::Backend::Simple.new
+      example.run
+    ensure
+      I18n.backend = backend
+    end
+
+    it 'leaves them to the first lookup by default' do
+      subject.get('/x') { 'x' }
+      subject.compile!
+
+      expect(I18n.backend).not_to be_initialized
+    end
+
+    context 'when Grape.config.eager_load_i18n is on' do
+      around do |example|
+        Grape.config.eager_load_i18n = true
+        example.run
+      ensure
+        Grape.config.eager_load_i18n = false
+      end
+
+      it 'reads them when the API is compiled rather than on the first error' do
+        subject.get('/x') { 'x' }
+        expect(I18n.backend).not_to be_initialized
+
+        subject.compile!
+
+        expect(I18n.backend).to be_initialized
+      end
+
+      it 'still answers the first error in the message it is translated to' do
+        subject.params { requires :id }
+        subject.get('/x') { 'x' }
+
+        get '/x'
+
+        expect(last_response.status).to eq 400
+        expect(last_response.body).to eq 'id is missing'
+      end
+
+      it 'answers through a backend that cannot load eagerly' do
+        simple = I18n.backend
+        I18n.backend = Class.new do
+          define_method(:translate) { |*args, **options| simple.translate(*args, **options) }
+          define_method(:available_locales) { simple.available_locales }
+        end.new
+        subject.params { requires :id }
+        subject.get('/x') { 'x' }
+
+        get '/x'
+
+        expect(last_response.status).to eq 400
+        expect(last_response.body).to eq 'id is missing'
+      end
+    end
+  end
+
   describe 'thread-safe (re)compilation' do
     # Regression: building the HEAD/OPTIONS/405 helper routes used to delete the
     # root-prefix/versioning keys from the shared class-level settings and