Imagine you have a Spanish book and need to read it in English. An interpreter is like someone reading it aloud, translating each sentence as they go - slower but you hear it immediately. A compiler is like someone translating the whole book first, then giving you the English version - takes time upfront but then you can read it as fast as you like! An assembler is simpler - converting Assembly mnemonics to machine code, almost word-for-word.
This introduction covers The Language Translators within Translators for GCSE Computer Science. Revise Translators in 3.4 Computer Systems for GCSE Computer Science with 15 exam-style questions and 8 flashcards. This topic appears regularly enough that it should still be part of a steady revision cycle. It is section 2 of 8 in this topic. Use this introduction to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Practice questions for Translators
Which type of translator converts an entire high-level language program into machine code before the program runs?
Explain why a compiled program runs faster than an interpreted program.