AN ACR LGT MISUNDERSTOOD ITS CLRNC IN FOREIGN AIRSPACE.

Narrative

WE WERE DSNDING ENRTE FROM FL370 TO 11000 FT (FL110 QNE) BTWN ARA VOR AND DDM VOR LOCATED SW OF ATHENS; GREECE. I WAS GIVING A PA DURING THE MIDDLE PORTION OF THE DSCNT WITH RADIO SELECTOR IN THE OFF POS. AS I FINISHED (ABOUT FL170); I TURNED ON THE ATC RADIO SELECTOR SWITCH IN TIME TO HEAR; 'ACR EXPECT APCH CLRNC DDM' AT WHAT SOUNDED TO ME LIKE 5000. THE CAPT READ BACK 'EXPECT APCH CLRNC DDM 5000.' ALL 3 PLTS AGREED THAT THE TIME WAS XA50 AND WE RECEIVED NO OTHER RADIO CALL FROM ATHENS APCH; EXCEPT FOR SOME CONVERSATION IN GREEK. WHEN WE REACHED DDM AT XA50; THE FO TURNED TO INTERCEPT THE INITIAL (TRANSITION) APCH SEGMENT FOR ILS 33R. WE WERE ABOUT 10 NM FROM DDM VOR OUTBOUND WHEN ATC ASKED IF WE WERE IN HOLDING AND DEMANDED WE TURN TO ENTER HOLDING OVER DDM UNTIL XB05! WE IMMEDIATELY TURNED BACK AROUND AND PROCEEDED TO DDM VOR AND WERE EVENTUALLY VECTORED FOR ILS 33R AND MADE AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG. AT NO TIME DID THE CTLR SAY ANYTHING ABOUT HOLDING OR EVEN THE WORD HOLD; AND WHEN THE CAPT READ BACK '5000;' NO CORRECTION OR FURTHER COM WAS MADE BY THE CTLR. FACTORS: GREEK CTLRS ARE FAMOUS FOR NOT USING STANDARD TERMINOLOGY. CLRNCS IN EUROPE IN GENERAL ARE OFTEN ISSUED TO A VOR OR NDB WITH NO EXPECT FURTHER CLRNC (ALTHOUGH IT WAS DONE IN THIS CASE) OR EXPECTED ROUTING. AMERICAN (ENGLISH SPEAKERS) CANNOT UNDERSTAND ATC COM GIVEN IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE INDICATING THE SIT IN THE TERMINAL AREA (WHETHER OTHER ACFT ARE HOLDING; ETC). NOTE: NO OTHER ACFT OBSERVED ON TCASII IN TERMINAL AREA 25 NM SCALE.