A rare and controversial judgment call was made Wednesday during a National Assembly hearing into Coupang’s customer data theft scandal. Lawmakers urged two interpreters attending the session to rely on their own judgment in summarizing what witnesses said and presenting key takeaways instead of fully translating their remarks. The unusual request stemmed from a clash between parliamentary ground rules and professional interpretation standards. Under National Assembly rules, each lawmaker is allowed seven minutes to speak during a hearing. Within that time, they may question witnesses or comment on their answers. Once the seven minutes expire, the microphone is cut off. As a result, lawmakers often rush through questions or focus on so-called “killer questions” that can generate headlines. This time constraint becomes more acute when foreign witnesses are involved, as lawmakers feel their speaking time is effectively reduced as the interpreter translates questions and responses. However, interpreters are trained not to omit, edit or alter a speaker’s remarks. Their professional d