You've really got to know a language or its rudiments if you want to claim to have read its books. That's how I feel when I approach Lao Tzu, or Rumi or Sarmad. I know enough basic Sanskrit to at least feel more comfortable when I read translations of the Upanishads or the Gita. I wish I knew Chinese, Persian, Arabic, Urdu... It's not impossible. But it requires a bit of effort.