What best describes interpretation in programming?

What best describes interpretation in programming?

• A. The result produced by a program
• B. The translation of a program into machine code
• C. The process of executing a program by an interpreter
• D. The compilation of source code into object code

Answer: (C)

Interpreting in programming means executing code directly with an interpreter, which reads the program’s source code and runs it, translating it as it goes rather than producing a separate machine-language file first. This is why it’s described as executing the program by an interpreter. Languages like Python and JavaScript are commonly run this way, which makes development and testing quick because you can run code immediately without a separate compilation step. However, because translation happens on the fly, interpreted programs can run slower than compiled ones. The other ideas describe either the program’s output (not how it runs) or the process of translating code into machine or object code before it runs, which is compilation, not interpretation.

Interpreting in programming means executing code directly with an interpreter, which reads the program’s source code and runs it, translating it as it goes rather than producing a separate machine-language file first. This is why it’s described as executing the program by an interpreter. Languages like Python and JavaScript are commonly run this way, which makes development and testing quick because you can run code immediately without a separate compilation step. However, because translation happens on the fly, interpreted programs can run slower than compiled ones. The other ideas describe either the program’s output (not how it runs) or the process of translating code into machine or object code before it runs, which is compilation, not interpretation.