[1] Thus, parsing a string of the grammar produces a sequence of rule applications.
Syntax-directed translation fundamentally works by adding actions to the productions in a context-free grammar, resulting in a Syntax-Directed Definition (SDD).
[2] Actions are steps or procedures that will be carried out when that production is used in a derivation.
Common attributes could include a variable type, the value of an expression, etc.
Early metacompilers use the terms syntax-driven and syntax-directed translation in their descriptions.