NEAR COLLISION DURING PUSHBACK BECAUSE OF LANGUAGE DIFFICULTY AND QUESTIONABLE QUALIFICATION OF GND PERSONNEL.

Narrative

A PUSHBACK CLRNC WAS; 'YOU ARE CLRED TO PUSH REF THE PUSH OF ANOTHER ACFT.' THIS WAS RELAYED TO THE GROUNDMAN AND THE PUSH STARTED. ENG START CLRNC WAS GIVEN. AS THE PUSH WAS STOPPED; IT WAS EVIDENT FROM RAMP COMMENTS THAT WE HAD ALMOST BEEN PUSHED INTO A B757. THAT ACFT ASKED US TO PLEASE NOT START OUR #2 ENG AS WE WERE AT THE NOSE OF HIS ACFT. OUR GND PEOPLE HELD UP A NOSE PIN AND RAN AWAY. I FLASHED THE LIGHTS; CALLED RAMP CTL TO GET THE GND PEOPLE BACK. A PERSON IN A TRUCK WITH AN ORANGE LIGHT CAME OVER. I EXPLAINED THAT WE NEEDED TO BE PULLED AWAY FROM THE B757; OUT TOWARD THE TAXI OUT LINE. THE ORIGINAL GND CREW RETURNED. THEY RECONNECTED THE TOW TRUCK; BUT THE DRIVER COULD NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT NEEDED TO BE DONE. HE DID NOT KNOW HOW CLOSE WE WERE TO THE B757 OR THE MEANING OF L OR R; PUSH OR PULL. THE TUG DRIVER WAS UPSET AND CONFUSED. HE WANTED TO PUSH THE ACFT BACK MORE TO STRAIGHTEN OUT THE TUG; WHEN IT WAS ALREADY STRAIGHT. THE DRIVER COULD NOT UNDERSTAND THAT I WANTED HIM TO PULL US AWAY FROM THE B757; AWAY FROM THE GATE. THE DRIVER SAID; 'I NO CAN DO;' SEVERAL TIMES AND RAN AWAY. AFTER A WHILE A QUALIFIED DRIVER APPEARED; UNDERSTOOD MY INSTRUCTIONS; KNEW WHAT TO DO; AND TOOK CARE OF THE MATTER. I WAS CONCERNED THAT THE SUPVR WAS UNAWARE THAT THE TUG DRIVER WAS UNTRAINED. 2 ACFT WERE ALMOST TAKEN OTS. THIS PUSH SEQUENCE TOOK 18 MINS AND STOPPED INGRESS.