What is a characteristic of a compiled language?

A compiled language is characterized by its process of translating the entire source code into machine language before execution. This translation is done by a compiler, which scans the code, performs optimizations, and generates an executable file that can be run directly by the computer's hardware. Since the program is already in machine code, it typically runs faster than interpreted languages, which translate code one line at a time during runtime.

The other options reflect characteristics of different types of programming languages or execution models. For instance, the first option relates to how interpreted languages function, running statements one at a time. The third option describes the requirement for interpreted languages, which need an interpreter to execute code on various machines. Lastly, the fourth option pertains to scripting languages, which often do not require a separate compilation step before execution. Therefore, the distinguishing feature of a compiled language is its conversion to machine language prior to execution, making option B the correct choice.