A GULFSTREAM IV FAILS TO MAKE A XING ALT BECAUSE OF CTLR'S ACCENT. FLC HAS TO DSND TO ELIMINATE A CONFLICT. TCASII CALLED A POTENTIAL TFC CONFLICT SO FLC TAKES EARLY EVASIVE ACTION.

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I WAS THE PF; PERFORMING SIC DUTIES DURING CLB FROM EDDM. ABOUT 40 MI S OF ERL THE CAPT RECEIVED A RESTR THAT WE BOTH UNDERSTOOD TO BE; 'CROSS ERL AT FL280.' OUR CLB RATE WAS MORE THAN ADEQUATE TO MEET THE RESTR. A FEW MINS LATER THE CTLR ASKED IF WE WERE GOING TO BE ABLE TO MAKE THE RESTR. THE CAPT RESPONDED THAT IT WOULD NOT BE A PROB AND I CONCURRED. THE CLB RATE WAS STILL MORE THAN ADEQUATE TO MAKE ERL AT FL280. THE NEXT CALL FROM THE CTLR WAS A SURPRISE. WE WERE PASSING 24600 FT AND CLBING ABOUT 2000 FPM WHEN HE ASKED IF WE WERE GOING TO MAKE THE FL280 IN THE NEXT 3 MI. I SAW A POTENTIAL CONFLICT ON THE TCASII AND IMMEDIATELY INCREASED THE CLB RATE TO 3600 FPM. A SHORT CONVERSATION TOOK PLACE BTWN THE CAPT AND THE CTLR DURING WHICH WE DISCOVERED THE CLB RESTR MEANT BY THE CTLR WAS; 'CROSS 15 MI S OF ERL AT FL280.' PASSING FL274; RAPIDLY FOR FL280; WE WERE ISSUED A DSCNT TO FL270. THE CAPT TOOK CTL OF THE ACFT AND DSNDED TO FL270. WE WERE THEN ISSUED A FURTHER DSCNT TO FL250. THE CAPT GAVE CTL OF THE ACFT BACK TO ME AND I DSNDED TO FL250 WHERE THERE WERE NO POTENTIAL CONFLICTS ON THE TCASII. AT NO TIME DID ANY ACFT CAUSE A TA OR RA. THE EXCITEMENT WAS UNNECESSARY AND COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED BY: 1) WHEN BEING ISSUED AN ATC CLRNC OR INSTRUCTION; DO NOT RELY ON THE CTLR IN A NON-ENGLISH SPEAKING COUNTRY TO CORRECT ERRORS FROM A READBACK. 2) WHEN ATC ISSUES A RESTR; INFORM THE PLT THE REASON FOR THE RESTR; AS SPECIFICALLY AS POSSIBLE. EXAMPLE: 'CROSS 15 MI S OF ERL AT FL280; TFC IS A B747 CONVERGING AT YOUR 4 O'CLOCK POS; 15 MI; AT FL270.' 3) IN NON-ENGLISH SPEAKING COUNTRIES; SPEAK ENGLISH IN A DELIBERATELY SLOW PACE ON ALL XMISSIONS; NO MATTER HOW WELL THEY SEEM TO SPEAK ENGLISH. IT WILL ENHANCE COM.