What characterizes an interpreted language?

An interpreted language is characterized by translating code one line at a time during execution, rather than compiling the entire program upfront. This means that when you run an interpreted language program, the interpreter reads and executes each line sequentially. This approach allows for immediate execution and is often useful in scenarios where quick scripting and prototyping are needed, as changes can be tested without the need for a complete recompilation.

In other programming paradigms, especially those that utilize compiled languages, the program is translated into machine code all at once before any part of it is executed. This can lead to better optimization and performance, but it doesn't allow for the flexibility of immediate feedback that interpreted languages provide.

Furthermore, while interpreted languages can be popular in web development, they are not exclusively limited to that domain; languages like Python and Ruby, for example, are used widely beyond just web applications for various scripting tasks, automation, and data analysis. Debugging is an essential part of the programming process regardless of whether a language is interpreted or compiled, making the assertion that interpreted languages require no debugging misleading.