Western Governors University (WGU) ITSW 2113 D278 Scripting and Programming Foundations Practice Exam

A key characteristic of a compiled programming language is that it is converted into machine code before execution. This process involves a compiler, which takes the source code written by the programmer and translates it into machine language, which is a set of binary instructions that the computer's hardware can understand directly.

This conversion occurs prior to runtime, allowing for optimizations and faster execution since the program runs directly as machine code rather than being translated on the fly. Once compiled, the program can be executed multiple times without the need for the compiler, which enhances performance and provides the ability for the compiled code to be distributed as standalone executables.

In contrast, an interpreted language translates code at runtime, meaning it does not need a separate compilation step. Also, compiled languages do require source code to function, as the compilation process starts with it. Additionally, the dependency on a browser for execution typically refers to interpreted languages used in web development, rather than compiled languages.