How well would translating English lyrics to Japanese work for learning?

So I’ve been an on and off learner and I find it hard to stay motivated as opposed to learning in spurts. A couple of months ago I printed out the lyrics to a Soutaiseiriron song I like and tried translating it, but I believe translating Japanese songs is better when you have a very good understanding of grammar. So I was wondering if translating English songs would work better, as you can translate it with a literal meaning. Consider this involves a lot of dictionary use. Would it be good a good learning strategy paired with workbook study? I’d like to translate songs by Weezer or Ghost amongst others.

3 comments
  1. I think translating from Japanese to English is better because you need to learn natural sentence patterns and word use, not just generate your own (probably incorrect) phrases from a dictionary.

  2. Not a good use of your time in my opinion, especially if you’re mindlessly translating in an overly literal fashion with no attention to style or idiomatic usage and if you do not have anyone to correct your mistakes afterwards.

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