Question

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

Short answer

Answer: A compiler.

Step-by-step solution

Understand High-level Languages

High-level languages are programming languages that are designed to be easy for humans to read, write, and understand. They use more abstract constructs like loops, conditionals, and variables, and follow syntax rules that are closer to natural languages like English. Examples of high-level programming languages include C++, Python, Java, and JavaScript.

Understand Machine Languages

Machine languages are low-level programming languages that consist of binary code (0s and 1s) for a specific computer's architecture. These are the languages that a computer can directly execute, and each machine language instruction corresponds to a single atomic operation on the computer's hardware. Machine languages are difficult for humans to understand and write, and are also hardware-specific.

The Need for a Program to Translate High-level Languages to Machine Language

Since high-level languages are easy for humans to read and write, while machine languages are the ones that a computer can understand and execute, there is a need for a program that can translate high-level language code into machine language code. This translation allows programmers to effectively communicate with a computer using more human-friendly languages.

Identify the Program that Translates High-level Language to Machine Language

The rrogram that translates a high-level language program into a separate machine language program is called a compiler. A compiler takes the source code written in a high-level language and translates it into machine language code, which can then be executed by the computer. Compilers perform various optimizations and syntax checks to ensure that the code is efficient and free of errors before converting it to machine language.