I can only read through translation and am encouraged to make a second attempt at reading Three Body. Your discussion on the movie is helpful to me.
I remember a time when I decided to read books at the library alphabetically by author. One of the first was a translation of a Japanese SF and I remember the feel of such a different way of seeing. It let me know the world is much bigger than I how I see. I can at least reach out and touch even without total understanding. There is much that crosses back and forth over barriers, things that matter.