Question

What do you call a program that translates a high-level language program into a separate machine language program?

Short answer

Answer: The program is called a Compiler, and it is essential because it converts human-readable high-level language code into machine language, enabling the computer's hardware to execute it.

Step-by-step solution

Introduction to High-level and Machine Languages

A high-level language is a programming language that is easy to read and write by humans. Examples of high-level languages include Python, Java, and C++. On the other hand, machine language is a low-level language that is directly understandable by the computer's hardware. Machine languages consist of binary code - a series of 1's and 0's.

The Role of Program Translation

Computers cannot understand and execute high-level language code directly. Instead, the code has to be translated into machine language that the computer hardware can process. This is where the program in question comes into play.

Compiler

The program that translates high-level language programs into separate machine language programs is called a Compiler. A compiler takes the entire source code written in a high-level language and converts it into an executable file, also known as machine code or object code. The machine code can then be executed by the computer's hardware.

Summary

In summary, a Compiler is the program that translates a high-level language program into a separate machine language program. It plays a crucial role in converting human-readable code into a format that can be executed by a computer's hardware.