MD11 CREW EXPERIENCES LANGUAGE DIFFICULTIES WITH VABB APCH WHICH RESULTS IN DSCNT BELOW MSA.

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WE WERE ON AN IOE FLT FROM VHHH TO VABB. THIS WAS THE STUDENT'S PRE-LINE CHK WITH A COMPANY CHK AIRMAN ON BOARD ALSO; WHOM WAS SITTING ON THE JUMP SEAT DURING APCH. WE HAD BEEN GIVEN SEVERAL VECTORS; WHICH BY ICAO STANDARDS WERE WEIRD. ONE WAS 'ORBIT TO THE R.' WHICH WE TRIED TO CLARIFY WHETHER TO HOLD OR WHAT. NO RESPONSE FROM ATC; SO I STATED ON THE RADIO WE WERE DOING A R 360 DEG TURN TO REALIGN OURSELVES WITH OUR RTE IN THE TERMINAL AREA. WE WERE THEN VECTORED FROM A HDG OF 220 DEGS TO TURN R TO 180 DEG ACROSS THE LOC AGAIN. THE NEXT VECTOR WAS R AGAIN TO AN EASTERLY DIRECTION; ONCE AGAIN ACROSS THE LOC. WE WERE THEN ASSIGNED A HDG TO TURN L TO 200 DEGS AND JOIN THE LOC. THAT HDG WOULD NOT GET US ON AN INTERCEPT; HOWEVER; A 300 DEG WOULD. I ASKED AGAIN ABOUT THE HDG AND WE ENDED UP INTERCEPTING THE LOC AND THEN GIVEN 'DSND TO 2700 FT; CLRED FOR THE APCH TO RWY 27.' WE WERE ALREADY BELOW THE GS AND LEVELED OFF AT 2700 FT TO INTERCEPT THE GS. VERY SHORTLY AFTERWARDS; ANOTHER ATC VOICE YELLED AT US TELLING US TO CLB UP TO 3700 FT AS WE WERE TOO LOW. I TOOK THE ACFT AND DISCONNECTED THE AUTOPLT; ADDED MAX THRUST AND CLBED UP TO 3700 FT. THE REST OF THE APCH WAS UNEVENTFUL. WE (THE WHOLE CREW) HEARD THE HDG OF 200 DEGS AND 2700 FT; WHICH WAS READ BACK TO ATC. I PERSONALLY THINK THE CTLR HAS THE 2'S AND 3'S MIXED UP. I WAS THE ONE IN THE TERRAIN MODE AND SAW NO CONFLICT WITH TERRAIN; HOWEVER; I DID THINK 2700 FT WAS TOO LOW FOR WHERE WE WERE; HOWEVER; QUESTIONING MUMBAI ATC ONLY RESULTS IN A FASTER MORE MISUNDERSTOOD REPLY IN ENGLISH IN WHICH WE ARE THEN YELLED AT BY ATC. THE MORAL OF THE STORY; BEWARE GOING INTO MUMBAI AND HAVE ALL AVAILABLE EYES AND EARS IN THE COCKPIT TO HELP OUT.