real-brisker, if you have the ability to learn in the Aramaic and just reference the Artscroll when you are having difficulty, that is definitely preferable.
That’s really true of any “literature” (and no, I am not really comparing Torah to regular literature) – its best read in its original language to avoid mistranslations and misunderstandings. But I wouldn’t read Dante’s Inferno in Italian because I am not fluent enough to grasp it, likewise, a person who can’t learn gemara in Aramaic without misunderstanding it should use whatever aids he can.
Don’t count schar really…count the effort you put in to truly learn something.