I do translations a bit differently.

Equivalency

Maybe it’s arrogant to say this, but I believe language, logic, and math have a lot in common. Language isn’t as rigid as math, but in many ways they reach the same conclusions. Let’s look at an example:

Math:
X + Y = 4
Easy: 2 + 2 = 4
Difficult: ((10-2) / 2) + ((20 / (4^1/2)) -10) = 4

And the same thing goes for Japanese:
desu = ?
Easy: Is
Difficult: Statement of status, implication of present tense, proper grammar, or level of politeness.

Intended Meanings

There are a lot of different ways to say what you mean, and that’s what makes language magical. However, there are some pressing occasions in which the utmost precision in terminology must be used. The best way to understand such differences, in my opinion, is to translate as much as you can. Combine what you know about word usage in your home language and apply it to the foreign language. Always understand that a word-for-word translation may not be the best target.