What computer program translates assembly language to an object file or machine language?

• A. Assembler
• B. Compiler
• C. Interpreter
• D. Linker

Answer: (A)

Translating assembly language into machine code is done by an assembler. Assembly language uses mnemonics for CPU instructions and symbols for addresses, and the assembler converts each mnemonic into the corresponding binary opcode for the target processor. It also resolves labels and builds object code (often with relocation information) that can be fed to a linker to form an executable. This is different from a compiler, which translates high-level languages into machine code or an intermediate form, and from an interpreter, which executes code directly. A linker’s job is to combine object files and fix up addresses, not to translate the instructions themselves. Assembler tools like NASM, MASM, and GAS perform this translation.