Translation of High-Level Languages
The key topics explored in this section are:
- Machine code
- High-level languages
- Translators
Overview
Machine code is the computer’s own programming language, which uses binary codes to represent the program instructions and data. In the early days of computing, all programs were written in machine code. High-level languages were developed to make the process of software development easier and quicker. Today, almost all software is written in a high-level language. All high-level language programs must be translated into machine code before they can be run. One high-level-language instruction generally translates into several machine-code instructions.
For more on this topic, have a look at our National 5 Computing Science Study Guide, pp. 38–39.
Activities
Thoughts
All computers execute machine code, which is binary patterns that can be executed by a processor chip. High-level languages exist to make it easier for a human to write programs, but a compiler or an interpreter must be used to translate the code into machine code before it can be run.