Translators

• A translator is a computer program that can convert a program or source code to machine level language for its debugging and execution.
• There are three types of translators : Assembler,  Interpreter and Compiler. 
• Assembler converts assembly language to machine language.
• Interpreter converts high-level  language code line by line into machine language and executes it immediately.
• Compiler converts the entire high level source code into  machine code before execution.
• Assembler's input language is assembly language.
• Interpreter's input language is high-level language.
• Compiler's input language is high-level language.
• Assembler's output language is machine language ( low-level ).
• Interpreter's output language is machine code ( line  by line execution ).
• Compiler's output language is machine code ( object / executable file ).
• Assembler's execution timing is after full assembly.
• Interpreter's execution timing is line-by-line, during  interpretation.
• Compiler's execution timing is after complete  

  compilation.
• Assembler's speed of execution is faster than interpreter ( machine-level code ).
• Interpreter's speed of execution is slower, as it interprets and executes code line by-line.
• Compiler's speed of execution is faster than interpreter due to pre-compiled executable.
• Assembler's translation process is one-to-one mapping between assembly and machine instructions.
• Interpreter's translation process translates and executes each line at runtime.
• Compiler's translation process translates the whole program at once before execution.
• Assembler's platform dependency is platform / machine dependent.
• Interpreter's platform dependency is platform independent ( to an extent, depending on the interpreter used ).
• Compiler's platform dependency is platform independent ( but compiled code is  platform-specific ).
• Examples of assembler are MASM, NASM, TASM.
• Examples of interpreter are BASIC, Python ( when interpreted ), JavaScript.
• Examples of compiler are C, C++, FORTRAN.
• Interpreter converts the high-level language code, line by line and is normally carried out just before the execution of a program line.
• Each line is converted to machine language and is immediately executed and passed onto next line code.
• In case of the compiled code, the  source code is completely analyzed and translated at the time of compiling.