Why interpreters are slower then compilers?

Interpreters are generally slower than compilers because they translate high-level code into machine code line-by-line at runtime, which adds overhead for each instruction executed. In contrast, compilers translate the entire program into machine code before execution, allowing for optimizations that can enhance performance. This means that once compiled, the code runs directly on the hardware without the need for further translation, whereas interpreters must repeatedly analyze and execute the code. As a result, the execution speed of compiled programs is typically faster than that of interpreted ones.