Second, there are languages like Java that use a hybrid approach, compiling programs into an intermediate language and then running the translated program in an interpreter. For example, there are C interpreters and Python compilers. But the distinction is not always clear-cut.įirst, many languages can be either compiled or interpreted. Usually C is considered a compiled language and Python is considered an interpreted language. “Compiled” means that programs are translated into machine language and then executed by hardware “interpreted” means that programs are read and executed by a software interpreter.
People often describe programming languages as either compiled or interpreted.