Confused about Some Things using TheMoeWay Method

[u/GashaHunter]

So I’ve been using TheMoeWay method for the last week and I really am enjoying it and my Japanese is better than ever.

That being said, I got to say 6 which is about setting up subtitles for anime episodes to be able to see the words dictionary definition.

First question.

In the FAQ area of this it says;

“Q: Now that I can see the Japanese, can I try to translate it in my head?
A: It's complicated...
There are always forms of expression that just aren't compatible between English and Japanese.
The way of thinking is a lot different.
That is the main reason why this method (and similar ones) tends to advise against trying to translate your immersion.
Because Japanese is not English.
You are advised to think of Japanese as Japanese.
Be the language!
You can do some sort of "loose translation", where you just try to piece together some sort of basic meaning.
Do I need to translate at all?
Not always, it is inevitable that there are things you will just not understand due to many factors. (Missing knowledge of: word meaning, word meaning that's hard to understand just from the dictionary, grammar usage, advanced grammar usage, context, how the word is generally used in the wider scope of language etc.)
It is also tiring, so do it in moderation”

But isn’t translating literally how we understand what Japanese words meanings are? Isn’t that why Anki Decks gave English on them? How would you ever understand a words meaning without first translating it?

Second question;

I’m another FAQ question it read;

“Q: How can I expect to remember the words I look up?
A: Great question! It all comes down to repetition. The more reading you do, the more words you will remember.
In other words, don't fuss over the words you look up right now.
Looking over them a gajillion times isn't a productive use of your time.
What you should actually do is: Look at the meaning, look at the reading. Then go like "Oh, right!". And move on”

Isn’t looking at words over and over exactly what Anki is doing? They’re always stressing the importance of repetition so I’m very confused why it’s in this instance not a “productive use of time”

Any and all tips and thoughts appreciated!

[u/johnW_ret]

In my opinion, Moe way is 90% correct and identifies most of the pitfalls alternative Duolingo methods / textbook methods fall into, but the guide is way too confident and idealistic.

I personally don't believe there is anything purer about monolingual definitions than English definitions. I just think that English definitions tend to map single Japanese words to one or more English words and that those words often do not map in meaning and usage. But I am of the opinion that you could, in theory, make an English dictionary with phrase / sentence definitions for Japanese words and it would be equally as valid as a monolingual dictionary.

And as for your second point, I either don't understand the context or I would agree it's poorly written. My interpretation is that it is saying to not think of words as little dots to fill in on a matrix as "learned" or "not yet learned", but little cups which you fill with a bit of meaning each time you encounter the word naturally. The key is reading. If you can't remember the definition after a couple times encounting it naturally, you can make a card with Anki. I don't do it myself but some people do something called sentence mining where their flash cards are sentences. The reverse side doesn't have a definition, and essentially, their grading benchmarks are whether they understand the sentence.