Introduction to Compilers

Compilers and Translators

If you are unable to speak French and yet wish to communicate a French speaker then you need someone to translate English into French. The same happens with computers languages. We would like to communicate in English but the computer only understands binary - so a translator is required. Thus the basic function of a translator is to convert a SOURCE (or original) program into an Object (or binary) program.

There are three main categories of translator:

• Assemblers,
• Interpreters and
• Compilers.

Under normal circumstances (ie unless great speed or compactness is required) the source program will be written in a high level language which is either interpreted or compiled.

A translator can be defined as: “A device that changes a sentence from one language to another without change of meaning.”