How to improve vocabulary while having fun?

Question

English learning tools

I recently discovered several convenient services with which you can watch TV shows with subtitles, double subtitles, subtitles modified for you. There is something similar for reading. There are also many other interesting things with which you can read in a foreign language and have fun. However, the question arises - is it effective? Just to make it clear: a book on C ++ for 1200+ pages, with a small font - ~ 5500 unique words; light novel with 260 pages, medium font — ~5200 unique words. This surprised me quite a lot and made me think - is it necessary to cram rare words so much? Because of this, this question is created.
A lot of people told me - read / watch and along the way just translate unfamiliar words, frequently occurring words will be remembered by themselves, and those that are rarely found can not be remembered, because due to the fact that they are rarely used, such a word even having learned, you can forget, while never applying it.
How effective is this method in comparison with the same cards? I can combine this "lesson" with cards, just export the word + translation + sentence to anki, but will ordinary cramming really help in learning words? Share your opinion on this matter.

Answer 1

Meet an English speaking girl. Have more fun with her.
The vocabulary will expand by itself in the process of entertainment.

Answer 2

To memorize certain words is wrong. Except for the smallest set.
The meanings of words change a lot in context. The contexts in Russian and English can be very different. You need to learn not words, but phrases, with use.
PS:
Learning while having fun, for example... Here is the Puma Thailand method of porn casting, where there are a lot of preliminary conversations.
Technical English is much easier than fiction or spoken English.

Answer 3

Play GTA or Dota.

Answer 4

read / watch and just translate unfamiliar words along the way

There is an important mistake here. It is not necessary to translate words, but to learn their meaning.
This is what double subtitles and bilingual books are unsuccessful for - they do not allow you to immerse yourself in the language, you have to constantly "switch the context" from native to foreign.
A foreign language is learned more effectively if, after acquiring the necessary base, one does not return to one's native language, even if the word is unfamiliar. Try to understand it in context. Look in a foreign explanatory dictionary. Memorizing translations of words is a rather bad practice, although it is very common. There is no exact translation without knowing the nuances, and the dictionary loses them completely.

Answer 5

It may seem strange. Watch cartoons. In cartoons, dialogues are built as competently and not confused as possible.