Translators

• What is a Translator? 

  • Translators convert source code from a high-level language to a low-level language 
  • There are three main types of translators 
  • Interpreters 
  • Compilers 
  • Assemblers 
• Interpreters 

  • Interpret source code line-by-line and executes it on the fly 
  • Easier to debug, allows incremental testing, and is generally faster to start execution 
  • Slower execution time overall and requires the interpreter to be present during the execution
• Compilers 

  • Translates the entire source code into machine code at once and then executes it 
  • Faster execution time, no need for the compiler during execution 
  • Longer initial compilation time and can be more challenging to debug 
• Assemblers 

  • Assemblers translate assembly language into machine code 
  • Unlike interpreters and compilers that work with high-level languages, assemblers deal with low-level languages 
  • The diagram below shows examples of programming languages, from low-level to high-level 
• Levels of Abstraction

  
• Translators used for common languages