A computer program is a set of instructions that tells a computer what tasks to perform. Programming languages allow humans to write code in a language the computer can understand. There are high-level languages like C++ and Java that are closer to human language, and low-level assembly languages that are closer to machine language. All programs must eventually be translated into machine language by a compiler or interpreter so the computer can execute the instructions. The basics of computer programming involve understanding what a program is, learning a programming language, and using tools like compilers and interpreters to translate code into a format the computer can understand and run.