B767 FLT CREW ENCOUNTERS CTLR COM DIFFICULTY DUE TO FOREIGN ACCENT INFLUENCE AT LFPG.

Narrative

DEPARTING RWY 27L AT LFPG ON THE AMOGA 9A RNAV SID; DEP CTL INSTRUCTED US; TO THE BEST OF OUR UNDERSTANDING; TO TURN L TO 180 DEGS. THE FEMALE CTLR'S ENGLISH WAS DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND AND WE WERE IN THE CLEAN-UP PHASE OF AN ICAO CLB PROFILE. FOR THAT REASON AND FOR THE UNUSUAL CONTENT OF THE CLRNC AT THAT POINT IN TIME; A VERY EMPHATIC READBACK WAS MADE ('L TO 180') WITH NO CORRECTION BY THE CTLR. ADDITIONAL FACTORS THAT QUICKLY ENTERED MY MIND WERE THAT WE WERE GIVEN A DEP CLRNC SEVERAL MINS AHEAD OF OUR SLOT TIME AND THIS COULD BE A DELAYING VECTOR; BUT I COULDN'T BELIEVE SHE WAS ABOUT TO TURN US ACROSS THE S COMPLEX OF DEPS. AFTER A SHORT PAUSE; I ASKED 'CONFIRM YOU WANT US TO TURN L TO 180 DEGS.' AFTER ANOTHER SHORT PAUSE; SHE SAID IN BROKEN ENGLISH; 'CLB TO FL180.' I READ BACK WITH A RENEWED UNDERSTANDING EXCLAMATION TONE OF VOICE 'AHHH; CLB TO FL180!' AFTER THAT EXCHANGE AND SINCE A TIMID TURN HAD BEEN STARTED (APPROX 10-15 DEGS OF HDG CHANGE); A MALE CTLR SPEAKING VERY CLR ENGLISH TOLD US; 'TURN IMMEDIATELY R TO 330 DEGS;' WHICH REJOINED US TO THE DEP. THE FEMALE CTLR WAS BACK AND VERY CHIPPER AND POLITE WITH NO FURTHER COMMENTS. SEPARATION WAS NOT COMPROMISED; ALTHOUGH THERE WAS TFC IN THE AREA AS CONFIRMED WITH TCASII. WE WERE GIVEN THE HDOF TO PARIS CTR. WE STARTED TO MAKE A TURN BASED ON WHAT WE THOUGHT WE UNDERSTOOD AND RELYING ON A LACK OF ADDITIONAL COMMENTS FROM A CTLR WHO PROBABLY DIDN'T UNDERSTAND OUR ACCENT ANYMORE THAN WE DID HERS. ALMOST AS SOON AS I GAVE THE INITIAL EMPHATIC READBACK; I WAS HAVING COMMON SENSE DOUBTS OF WHAT IT MEANT AND SHOULD HAVE DIRECTED THE PF TO MAINTAIN COURSE UNTIL THE MORE DIRECT QUERY COULD BE MADE. ALL THIS UNDERSCORES THE IMPORTANCE OF STAYING SPOOLED UP MENTALLY AND MAINTAINING THE BIG PICTURE (AS WELL AS THE MINUTE DETAILS) WHEN DEALING WITH LANGUAGE BARRIERS.