FOREIGN SPEAKING PLT TRAINEE MISTAKENLY BELIEVED THAT HE WAS CLRED INTO POS OF ASSIGNED TKOF RWY WHEN CLRED TO TAXI TO THE RWY AND DID SO PRIOR TO THE INSTRUCTOR RECOGNIZING THE ERROR.

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I AM A FLT INSTRUCTOR WITH 4 YRS EXPERIENCE. HOWEVER; THIS WAS MY FIRST FLT OUT OF BKL. MY STUDENT WAS JAPANESE. LANGUAGE PROB -- HE HAD BEEN TRAINING AT BKL FOR 3 MONTHS; 30 HRS. I ASSUMED HE WAS COMPETENT WITH TAXI INSTRUCTIONS. BKL HAS 2 PARALLEL RWYS. 24R WAS CLOSED FOR REPAIRS. ATC CLRED US FOR TAXI TO 24L. WHILE HE WAS TAXIING I WAS DISTRACTED IN THE COCKPIT. HE TAXIED ONTO THE ACTIVE RWY! LUCKILY; NO ACFT WAS ON APCH. GND CTL IMMEDIATELY ADVISED US OF OUR POS. I TOOK CTL OF ACFT AND CLRED THE ACTIVE. AFTER THE FLT; TWR CALLED AND EXPRESSED HIS CONCERN. I DO NOT KNOW HIS ACTIONS SINCE. LOOKING BACK; I WAS IMPRESSED WITH THIS JAPANESE STUDENT DURING OUR PREFLT. HE WAS VERY THOROUGH; DISCIPLINED; AND MOTIVATED. HE HAD EXTENSIVE ACADEMIC TRAINING; ALTHOUGH IN AVIATION HE WAS STILL A STUDENT PLT. HIS ENGLISH WAS MARGINAL DURING FACE-TO-FACE CONVERSATIONS. I SUSPECTED PROBS HE MIGHT HAVE WITH ATC. HIS CLRNC WAS 'TAXI TO RWY 24R.' HE TOOK IT LITERALLY. MY MISTAKE WAS TO ASSUME HE WAS COMPETENT. MY EXPERIENCE OVERSHADOWED MY INSTINCT. I GOT CARELESS. NOTHING LIKE THIS HAS EVER HAPPENED BEFORE. IT COULD HAVE BEEN A DISASTER. I THEN REALIZED THAT THIS JAPANESE STUDENT UNDERSTOOD VERY LITTLE OF WHAT WAS BEING SAID. HE WOULD NOT TAKE MY PREVIOUS ADVICE IN ASKING ATC TO 'SAY AGAIN.' TO HIM IT IS A LOSS OF FACE. I HAVE LEARNED FROM THIS. I TAKE THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE FOR GRANTED. NEVER AGAIN. ALSO; MY VIGILANCE IS ONCE AGAIN VERY HIGH. ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN. I MUST TRUST MY INSTINCTS.