Final answer:
Interpreted languages translate and execute code line-by-line and offer platform independence, whereas compiled languages translate all source code into machine code beforehand, usually resulting in faster execution but less flexibility.
Step-by-step explanation:
The key difference between interpreted programming languages and compiled programming languages lies in how they translate and execute code. Interpreted languages, like Python, translate one line of code at a time and then execute that line before moving on to the next. In contrast, compiled languages, such as C++, translate the entire source code into machine code in a separate step before execution, creating an executable binary file that can be run multiple times without needing the source code again.
Compiled languages tend to lead to faster-running programs once compiled because the machine-level code is all prepared ahead of time. However, interpreted languages offer the advantage of being able to execute code line-by-line which can be great for debugging and allows for platform independence, as the interpreter does the work of translating it for the machine it’s running on.