Translators
Have you ever wondered how computers understand us? It’s all in the power of translators.
Languages
To understand the types of translator you first need to know about the three different types of coding languages. They are called low level, middle level, and high level.
Low level
You might think that low level code is the easiest for us to code in. But it is actually the hardest type of coding language for us. For computers low level language is the easiest type of coding language as it doesn’t need any translators. Low level code is machine code also known as binary.
Middle level
Middle level is still very hard for coders. To code in middle level languages you need to know a lot about your computer like the size of your RAM (Random Access Memory). Since computers only understand binary, when you code in middle level languages the computer needs translators. An example of middle level language is Assembly.
High level
High level coding languages are the easiest type of coding languages for us to use. For computers they are harder as they use more English words in them. Most of the coding languages you know are high level languages. Some examples of high level coding languages are python, java, and C++.
Assemblers
Assemblers are one of the three types of translators. This translator converts Assembly code language (middle level) into machine code (low level). The machine code then needs to be executed, so it gets sent to the CPU. There the CPU can do its job.
Compilers
Compilers are translator which takes in high level code and translates it into low level code. The file you save the high level code in is called the source code and the compiled file is called the object code. The object code is then given to the CPU to process. Every time you make a change in the source code the program needs to be compiled again. With compilers the object code is more important than the source code.
Interpreters
Interpreters do the job of the compiler but in a different way. Interpreters take in the source code and translates it line by line. Inside the translator it becomes machine code. But instead of giving the machine code to the CPU the interpreter gives out the result. This makes the source code really important for interpreters.
