About adapting a japanese song into any other language

Well as we all know , translating a song and writing a song from japanese are two very different things.
Writting a japanese song into another laguage entails that you have to follow a certain beat to it, make the lyrics sound harmonious in your own language but also respect the tempo that makes the song sound the way it does in it's original.
This is the same when writting any language really, but I take japanese because it is a language that is completely diferent in grammar structure and in alphabet (This would be the same issue with other languages like madarin, arab ...etc)
So what is the key to making a perfect sounding english adaptation?
Simply using the raw english translation doesn't suffice. It makes it akward, and the flow is absent. So what are you're thoughts , tips and tricks in adapting Japanese songs to English?

(I hope this is the right forum for this)

I don't think I'm in any position to give tips/tricks ( because I don't translate songs XD ) but after hearing some of the translated songs by rockleetist, I think it's important to be able to understand the song well. Because translating is just showing the 'literal' meaning to the song.
Once you have grasp hold of the meaning, you need to be able to express it in the lyric. It's not just about translating the song itself. It's the ability to express the same feeling as the original song has into another language. That's the challenging part I think most song translators has.

It's just an opinion,

I've made a couple translyrics before... literally a couple. I've made two. orz

In my opinion, Kago is right >w>; What I actually did was I got a translation and the original lyrics, and I went back and forth trying to keep the words similar in meaning but with the same beat. ;w;<3

Well, I've written quite a few. xD;;

I start off with trying to understand the overall meaning of the song and whatever it's trying to convey. After I think I've got it, I start writing lyrics using both my knowledge of the Japanese language and the English translations on the web. With both of those, it's guaranteed that my translyrics have almost the same meaning. I ask help from my friends who know a little more than I do sometimes when I really can't understand or if I think the translations are a little off. I get second and third opinions. 8DD;;

While typing out lyrics, I usually think of the beats and syllables in Japanese in my head then I sing along to see if the lyrics fit. If they don't, I change them. If the lyrics I wrote seem awkward, I change them too.
If the original song has a rhyme scheme, I try to keep with that so as to keep the original feeling of the song.

After repeating all those steps line after line, I check the whole thing once again. I check for places where I drag notes too long and I edit them again. I also check if the lyrics flow nicely. xDD

As already mentioned, literal translations don't usually work or sound best. Interpretations are the way to go. Looking at multiple translations and others' interpretations is always helpful when coming up with your own, though it irritates me when I can't find literal translations to songs.

Syllable count aside, the pattern of stresses (level of emphasis on individual syllables) is also important to consider. A line can have the same number of syllables as the original, but if the stress patterns are different, then it sounds pretty bad when sung. And there are times when, for the sake of coherence, you have to add or subtract some syllables. Timing these stresses and pauses with the beat of the song can be a pain (which is why I only adapt songs I really like), but it's really worth it in the end.

As far as rhyme goes, it's less important to me than having matching stresses and syllables. Lyrics are a form of poetry, and just as all poetry does not need to rhyme, neither do all lyrics. Not having a rhyme also makes it easier to convey the original meaning of the song without trying to mash it into a set pattern that it might not fit into. But if you can manage a rhyme, then go for it.

In any case, some examples of my adaptions can be found here and here, though the second was adapted from Korean rather than Japanese.

I'd say it depends on whether you like direct translations or overall translations...if that makes any sense. XD Personally, I'd say that it's okay to take a few liberties as long as the overall sentiment isn't lost. I wouldn't mind changing one or two beats rhythmically if it got my meaning across easier. Or if a line said 'I'm going to change myself' in translation, I'd be okay if the translyrics say 'It's time to break free of the old me', even if they don't match completely-- they still carry the same jist, so... 8'D

Of course, that's personal preference-- other people may prefer straighter translations /o/

Also, I guess it may seem counter-intuitive, but I'd also add that listening to English songs help a looot when writing English lyrics. Japanese songwriting and English songwriting is very different, so listening to how English songs work also help the song flow loads more. 8D

(...I don't write them much, but I do have one set of English translyrics where I tried to implement a lot of stuff I wrote about, so it may or may not help. *shot*)

Like mong said, it depends what type of translations you prefer. I personally lean on the "free interpretation" side, and hence why tend to only losely translate, rather than literally translating the meaning of a phrase.

Remember, translating a song isn't just translating, it's re-writing lyrics. And lyrics have to both be poetic, and convey the feelings you want in a song. As mong said as well, having a good grasp over English music and rhythms helps a lot, since the style is pretty different.

Also honestly, I think song choice is very important. If you pick a song that's obviously written in a very Japanese style, chances are no matter how pretty your lyrics are, it'd still sound awful and awkward sung in English! For example, my Mozaik Role is a really bad choice in terms of transcribing, purely because the rhythm is extremely Japanese. So what I did was fudge up the timing /o/