How did you guys learn ארמיא?

I can read (not speak) pretty good Hebrew from the Tanakh and the Mishnah and I want to be able to study Biblical Aramaic, Gemara and Targum Onkelos in their original language. So far, all the advice I’ve gotten has basically been: “Study the texts and stare at them until they start to make sense”. I’ve honestly found this surprisingly fruitful, especially with Targum Onkelos, since I already know what it’s supposed to mean most of the time. But it seems kinda sad that I’ve been encouraged to treat Aramaic like “Hebrew but weird,” with the assumption that I can use my Hebrew to just get used to Aramaic eventually. Is that more or less how it was taught to you guys too??

Also, do you guys vocalize/pronounce the Gemara in your heads? There’s no niqqud, so do you read Aramaic silently or do you kind of guesstimate the niqqudot in your head?