There are two kinds of such translation programs: compilers and interpreters. The end result is the same (a program of instructions that the computer can actually execute), but an interpreter does the translation using blocks of code and executes them as they are typed in by the programmer, and a compiler produces a permanent translation (called an object program) which can be saved and executed over and over again at any later time. Interpreters are good for testing and for programs that will only be used once or twice, and on the Internet for programs that are sent to your computer over the network for execution (if you use the Internet you will have noticed, perhaps, that javascript can be included in websites and when you view such a website, the javascript is sent to your machine and interpreted there). Compilers are more efficient, and are best used for producing code that will be executed over and over again on the same or very similar machines (such as a bank’s computer running a program to produce customer statements every month).