Translator (computing)

A translator or programming language processor is a computer program that converts the programming instructions written in human convenient form into machine language codes that the computers understand and process. It is a generic term that can refer to a compiler, assembler, or interpreter—anything that converts code from one computer language into another.^[1][2] These include translations between high-level and human-readable computer languages such as C++ and Java, intermediate-level languages such as Java bytecode, low-level languages such as the assembly language and machine code, and between similar levels of language on different computing platforms, as well as from any of these to any other of these.^[1] The term is also used for translators between software implementations and hardware/ASIC microchip implementations of the same program, and from software descriptions of a microchip to the logic gates needed to build it.^{[citation needed]}

Examples of widely used types of computer language translators include interpreters, compilers and decompilers, assemblers and disassemblers.^[3]

See also

• Binary translator (binary-to-binary, typically code)
• Assembly language translator (low-level source-to-source, code)
• Source-to-source translator (high-level source-to-source, code)
• Rewriter (source-to-source, typically code)
• Source-code formatter (source-to-source, typically code)
• File converter (binary-to-binary, typically data)
• Transcoder (binary-to-binary, data)

References

Further reading

• Horowitz, Ellis, ed (1979). written at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Assemblers, Compilers, and Program Translation. Computer software engineering series (1st printing, 1st ed.). Potomac, Maryland, USA: Computer Science Press, Inc.. ISBN 0-914894-23-4. https://books.google.com/books?id=x84mAAAAMAAJ. Retrieved 2020-03-20.  (2+xiv+270+6 pages)
• "Why Hasn't AI Mastered Language Translation?". Singularity Hub. Singularity University. 2018-03-04. https://singularityhub.com/2018/03/04/why-hasnt-ai-mastered-language-translation/#sm.00000g1rmbl85mcrmqbgjyoco3zrf. 
• "Language processors". Columbia University. Fall 2013. http://www1.cs.columbia.edu/~sedwards/classes/2013/w4115-fall/processors.pdf. 
• "Computer science". Encyclopædia Britannica. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/130675/computer-science/168860/High-level-languages. Retrieved 2020-02-02. 

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