Translation and compilation

Some older compilers (and assemblers) cannot process CICS® commands directly. An additional step is needed to convert your program into executable code. This step is called translation , and consists of converting CICS commands into the language in which the rest of the program is coded, so that the compiler (or assembler) can understand them.

Most compilers use the integrated CICS translator approach, where the compiler interfaces with CICS at compile time to interpret CICS commands and convert them automatically to calls to CICS service routines. If you use the integrated CICS translator approach, many of the translation tasks are done at compile time and you do not need to complete the additional translation step. For more information about the task in the translation step, see The translation process.