LACK OF CLR AND CONCISE COM BTWN FLC AND ATC ATTRIBUTED TO LACK OF PROFICIENCY OF ENGLISH BY THE FOREIGN CTLRS AT BOTH THE CTR AND APCH FACILITIES. IN THE APCH PHASE; THE FLC WAS GIVEN A CLRNC THAT PUT THEM TOO CLOSE TO THE ARPT FOR A STABILIZED APCH. FLC HAD TO PLAY CATCH UP.

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FLT BEGAN INITIAL DSCNT INTO VPG (PENANG; MALAYSIA) FROM FL310 TO FL130; AS PER ATC INSTRUCTION; PLT'S DISCRETION. THERE IS AN ARR FROM OUR PRESENT AIRWAY. (SEE FIGURE 1.) HOWEVER; ATC DID NOT INSTRUCT FLT TO DSND VIA THIS ARR. AS THE FLT WAS DSNDING INTO VPG ON THE 15 DEG RADIAL; ATC CLRED FLT TO 7000 FT RPT PASSING 8000 FT. THIS WAS AFTER CREW ASKED ATC TO VERIFY UNINTELLIGIBLE XMISSION ABOUT DSCNT ALT. AGAIN HAVING TROUBLE UNDERSTANDING ATC XMISSION. FLT UNDERSTOOD TO RPT 20 MI. ONCE AGAIN AFTER SEVERAL UNINTELLIGIBLE XMISSIONS FROM ATC; CREW BELIEVED ATC WAS ASKING FOR OUR POS RELATIVE TO THE PENANG VOR. SO WE ATTEMPTED TO COMMUNICATE RADIAL/DME FROM VPG. THE CLOSER AND LOWER WE GOT THE MORE TROUBLESOME THE COM. FINALLY FLT; WAS CLRED TO 4000 FT. AGAIN MORE TROUBLE WITH UNDERSTANDING WHAT CTLR WAS SAYING; NOT BEING SURE OR ATC'S INTENTIONS; AND THE ONGOING LANGUAGE BARRIER. I; THE CAPT; ASKED IF I COULD INTERCEPT LOC DME 10 DME ARC FOR RWY 4 ILS. STILL STRUGGLING TO UNDERSTAND ATC; THEY (ATC) CLRED FLT DIRECT TO THE 220 DEG RADIAL AT 14 DME; WHICH IS A POINT 14 MI ON FINAL. WE WERE NOW ON A HDG SOME 120 DEGS OFF INTERCEPT HDG. STILL TRYING TO UNDERSTAND ATC INSTRUCTIONS. FLT WAS CLRED TO DSND TO 2500 FT. BY THE WAY OUR PRESENT HDG PUT THE FLT INSIDE THE ARC. MORE OF THE SAME COM PROBS. ATC CLRED FLT FOR THE APCH AND TO CONTACT TWR. NOT SURE; FLT ASKED ATC TO VERIFY. THEY ASKED IF WE WERE ESTABLISHED. AT THIS TIME WE HAD 1 DOT LOC DEFLECTION; AND TURNING R; SO AS NOT TO OVERSHOOT. THIS PUT US IN A DSNDING R TURN INSIDE 8 MI. WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO CONTACT TWR. TWR; CLR AND INTELLIGIBLE; REQUESTED FLT TO SLOW TO FINAL APCH SPD -- TFC DEPARTING ON RWY 4. WE WERE CLRED TO LAND. LNDG UNEVENTFUL. AT ATC REQUEST; FLT DEBRIEF WITH ATC APCH ABOUT ARR. APCH FELT THAT ACFT RADIOS WERE BAD; AND THAT THEY REALLY EXPECTED AT LEAST AN 8 MI FINAL INTERCEPT NEXT TIME. OTHERWISE NO OTHER PROBS/CONFLICTS NOTED. I BELIEVE PART OF THE PROB WAS NOT BEING ABLE TO UNDERSTAND ATC INSTRUCTIONS BECAUSE OF THE DIALECT; FLYING WITH A NEW FO WHO HAD BEEN AN FE FOR 8 YRS PRIOR; NOT REQUESTING OR MAKING A REQUEST FOR A FULL INST APCH; IE; REQUESTING VECTORS TO STRAIGHT-IN APCH. ALTHOUGH VFR CONDITIONS; I SHOULD HAVE MADE THIS A MONITORED APCH; INSTEAD OF FLYING AND TRYING TO ASSIST WITH THE COM. LAST; I THINK PERHAPS I SHOULD HAVE STAYED WITH APCH LONGER. I'LL BE PREPARED NEXT TIME. DEBRIEFING WITH APCH HELPED TO KNOW WHAT THEY LIKE. ONE MORE THING; I SHOULD HAVE GONE OUT TO THE VPG 220 DEG RADIAL 14 DME; AND ASKED FOR VECTORS BACK TO FINAL; WHEN CLRED FOR THE APCH THAT 120 DEGS OFF INTERCEPT JUST DIDN'T MAKE SENSE.