Compiler

A compiler is a computer program that translates a series of statements written in one computer language (called the source code) into a resulting output in another computer language (often called the object or target language).

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Most compilers translate a source code text file, written in a high level language to object code or machine language, e.g. into an executable .EXE or .COM file that may run on a computer or a virtual machine. However, translation from a low level language to a high level one is also possible; this is normally known as a decompiler if it is reconstructing a high level language program which (could have) generated the low level language program. Compilers also exist which translate from one high level language to another, or sometimes to an intermediate language that still needs further processing; these are sometimes known as cascaders.

Computer program: A computer program or software program (usually abbreviated to "a program") is a step-by-step list of instructions written for a particular computer architecture in a particular computer programming language. A layman equivalent example would be writing a step-by-step list of instructions in English...

Computer language: A computer language is a language used by, or in association with, computers. Often, the term is used synonymously with programming language, but in general a computer language need not be a programming language....

Source code: Source code (commonly just source or code) is any series of statements written in some human-readable computer programming language....