What is it called when an error occurs due to an illegal statement in a program's code, halting the translator's progress?

The scenario described, where an error occurs due to an illegal statement in a program's code causing the translator (or compiler) to halt, is accurately characterized as a syntax error. Syntax errors arise when the rules of the programming language are not followed, such as missing punctuation, incorrect use of keywords, or improperly formed expressions. These types of mistakes prevent the code from being compiled, as the compiler cannot understand it.

Being a critical part of the development process, identifying syntax errors is vital, as they must be resolved before the code can proceed to execution. This differentiates them clearly from other types of errors such as runtime errors, which occur while the program is running, logic errors that lead to incorrect output despite the code executing without crashing, and compilation errors that specifically refer to issues that prevent the code from being compiled successfully, which can sometimes encompass syntax errors but typically also include other more broad issues within the code that must be corrected.