AN LTT ACR TAXIED ACROSS AN ACTIVE RWY WITHOUT CLRNC. ANOTHER ACFT TOOK OFF OVERHEAD.

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AT APPROX AM00 ON FEB/TUE/93; ACR 1 FLT WXXZ WAS TAXIING NE ON TXWY D. THERE WERE A FEW ACFT ON GND CTL FREQ INCLUDING AN ACR 1 WXYZ. I THOUGHT THAT WE HAD BEEN 'CLRED TO THE RAMP.' I HAD TAXIED PAST THE RWY 14/32 HOLD SHORT LINE WHEN MY FO SAID 'STOP!' I WAS ALMOST ON THE RWY WHEN I SAW AN ACFT LIFTING OFF AT OR SHORTLY BEYOND MIDFIELD. I ACCELERATED ACROSS RWY 14 WITH THE ACFT PASSING BEHIND US AT ABOUT 400-500 FT AGL. GND CTL HAD ALSO BROADCAST A 'HOLD' AFTER WE HAD PASSED THE HOLD SHORT LINE. THERE WAS NO OVERRIDING DISTR THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THIS MISUNDERSTANDING. THE YOUNG PERSON WHO WAS MY FO IS VERY SOFT SPOKEN; BEING BARELY AUDIBLE. I DID NOT HEAR HIS/HER ACKNOWLEDGE 'HOLD SHORT OF RWY 14;' A SELDOM USED RWY. THE CABIN PAX BRIEFER WAS OVER LOUD AND COULD HAVE DETRACTED FROM GND CTL XMISSIONS. SIMPLY STATED; I HEARD WHAT I THOUGHT I HEARD RATHER THAN WHAT HAD BEEN SAID. AT SOME ARPTS; AND ESPECIALLY ONES WITH INTERSECTING OPS; TAXIING ACFT REMAIN ON TWR FREQ UNTIL CLR OF ACTIVE RWYS ENABLING TAXIING ACFT TO MONITOR TKOFS AND LNDGS. I HAVE ALSO OBSERVED RED/GREEN RWY XING LIGHTS AT SOME ARPTS; MOSTLY OUTSIDE OF CONUS WHERE LANGUAGE IS A PROB. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 233478: THE TWR ASKED US TO CALL WHEN WE SHUT DOWN; AND WE DID SO. IN THE FUTURE; I WILL NOT ASSUME THE CAPT HEARD THE HOLD SHORT INSTRUCTIONS WITHOUT A VERBAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.