What are Programming Languages?

Last Updated On: September 20, 2021 by The Migration Translators

A programming language is used by a person for interacting with computers. Instructions are given to devices using this language which is followed by an expected output. Coding is the term used by a programmer to give instructions to a computer. If programming languages did not exist then there would be no software.

Most popular programming languages

Java is a popular programming language followed by Python, both of which are simple and straightforward. Many experts believe that it is quite an easy language to learn and understand. Instagram and Pinterest were both built using Python. Other well-known names in the world of programming are PHP, JavaScript, and C#.

Can programming languages be translated or interpreted?

English is known as the most popular of the world’s languages. It can be seen in use just about everywhere, including advertisements, in entertainment, in literature, and in the naming of clothing brands. Even many programming languages are based on English. This is the reason why developers add English words when coding. Because of this, even those who are non-English speakers need to learn some of the English languages so they can code.

Because translation is helpful in so many fields, people often wonder if they can depend on it to help them in the understanding of the software. But the languages used when developing software are not quite the same as native languages so it is not possible to compare them with Spanish or English, for example.

A program that has been published in one language could be translated into a different programming language. A language’s source code may be converted to a code in another language. It isn’t possible at the moment to interpret a programming language. Humans are unable to interpret a programming language for a machine to use. However, they can troubleshoot, debug, and tweak codes if required.

Put quite simply, programming languages can’t be either translated or interpreted in the same way one native language can be translated into another as they are not the same as natural tongues. For a start, they do not use a writing system with nouns and prepositions. They do not have any sort of sentence structure like native languages. Also, if the English component is changed into another language, the coding will not work so it isn’t possible to interpret or translate a programming language.

What is a translation of coding?

There is one type of translation that computer experts can carry out, called porting. This is when a software code is changed from one programming language to another. By doing this, developers modify a program so that it can run on a different computing system. If you have used an iOS app on your Android this is due to porting. It is this process that has made it possible for users to access their preferred software without it being necessary to change their mobile so that a specific app can be used.

Who translates programming languages?

There are a few tools that can do porting but they are unable to convert an iOS application so it can be used by an Android device. Only a human brain can do complicated tasks such as the translation of programming languages using porting.

Conclusion

Even though many people use computers few really understand the way a computer works. Only computer engineers can create software and applications for us to use.