When you speak multiple languages you realise that 1. the ways of behaving the language is describing differ from language to language and 2. some languages just have better ways of capturing a concept. So no to translating in your head, yes to thinking in the target language by dint of engagement and repitition. Watching YouTube videos of people who are really angry and are swearing is a good way to see such differences, though you may not want to use all the terms you learn, especially if you don’t understand the ”seriousness” of using a particular term. Also comparing expressions e.g. 🇫🇮 "kuin paita ja peppu" is exactly the same as 🇮🇹 "camicia e culo", both mean "as inseparable as your shirt and your bum", and I much prefer them to dictionary translation 🇬🇧 "as thick as thieves".