WRONG ALT SETTING RESULTS IN ALTDEV ALT XING RESTRICTION NOT MET ON IAP ILS APCH. RPTR COMPLAINS OF LANGUAGE BARRIER AND FREQ CONGESTION IN THIS ALTIMETER SETTING PROBLEM AND NON STANDARDIZATION OF PROC.

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ON APCH TO CDG; TRIED TO GET THE ALTIMETER FROM ATIS 5 TIMES WITH NO SUCCESS DUE TO FRENCH ACCENT AND LANGUAGE BARRIER. FINALLY; AFTER 3 RWY CHANGES AND A HOLDING PATTERN WE ASKED CTLR FOR ALTIMETER. HE GAVE US 984. I SET 984 HECTOPASCALS AND THE CAPT SET 29.84 INCHES. WHEN LEVELING OFF AT GS INTERCEPT ALT I NOTICED DISCREPANCY IN OUR ALTIMETERS. I TOLD CAPT AND THE LCA AND THEY SAID IT WAS '29.84.' I SAID NO. THEY SAID YES. I SAID ARE YOU SURE? THEY SAID YES. I FIGURED I MUST HAVE MISSED SOMETHING SINCE I WAS FLYING. SO I SET 29.84 INCHES. WE WERE VERY BUSY AT THIS TIME AND ATC WAS VERY BUSY. NO CHANCE TO VERIFY. WE WERE VFR AND MADE THE APCH. THE ALTIMETER SHOULD HAVE BEEN HECTOPASCAL WHICH RESULTED IN AN ALT ERROR. IT TURNS OUT THAT THE ATIS WAS GIVING 2 ALTIMETER SETTINGS; QFE AND QNH. EVEN WITH AN EXTRA CREW MEMBER; AN LCA; WE COULD NOT GET THE SETTING AND THE CAPT WAS CONFUSED ON WHAT TO USE. THE NEXT DAY WE DEPARTED CDG WITH A TRANSITION ALT OF 4000 FT. WE WERE EXTREMELY BUSY AND DID NOT CHANGE OUR ALTIMETER SETTING UNTIL APCHING 7000 FT WHICH WAS OUR LEVEL OFF ALT. MY POINT IS THIS: SINCE ALTIMETRY PROCS ARE SO IMPORTANT FOR SEPARATION; THERE SHOULD BE A 'STANDARD' PROC FOR THE ON TIME WORLD. WE MUST GET AGREEMENT ON THIS. A PLT CANNOT BE EXPECTED TO DO SOMETHING A CERTAIN WAY FOR 10-20 YEARS ON 10-20000 HRS AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN CHANGE A 'HABIT' THAT HAS BEEN INGRAINED. THIS IS ESPECIALLY DIFFICULT BECAUSE OF THE LANGUAGE BARRIERS. ALSO; THIS CAN HAPPEN AT VERY BUSY; COMPLEX TIMES SUCH AS APCH AND DEP. WE HAD THE BENEFIT OF AN EXTRA CREW MEMBER AND BARELY SALVAGED THE SITUATION. WITH ONLY 2 CREW MEMBERS AT THE END OF AN 11 HR FLT; IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY; VERY BUSY AND VERY TIRED; THE ALTIMETER SETTING PROC SHOULD BE AUTOMATIC AND REFLEXIVE. WE CAN CHANGE TO THEIR WAY OR THEY CAN CHANGE TO OURS; BUT IT MUST BE STANDARD.