What Is the Purpose of Procedural Programming Languages, and What Are the Features of C and COBOL? In a procedural language, or thirdgeneration language (3GL), a programmer writes instructions that tell a computer what to accomplish and how to do it. Programmers use English-like words to write instructions, which simplifi es the program development process for the programmer. A compiler or an interpreter translates the 3GL source program into machine language object code or object program that a computer can execute. Standard procedural languages include C and COBOL. C is a powerful language that requires professional programming skills and is used for business and scientifi c problems. It runs on almost any type of computer or operating system. COBOL (COmmon Business-Oriented Language) is a programming language designed for business applications that uses English-like statements that are easy to read, write, and maintain.