Looking at the report, it seems there was a reluctance to declare an emergency, in any language. If this had happened in Milan and the conversation had been in Italian, ATC still might not have picked up on the seriousness of their problem as it was described in vague technical terms.
I have a great deal of sympathy for those operating in an English-speaking environment when it is not their first language; however, how difficult is it to remember "MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY" or "PAN-PAN..."? (They're French-derived, anyway!) You can always declare an emergency, then 'downgrade' it later on when things are under control but a last minute admission that you're in trouble will not allow those who might be able to help you much time to do anything.
I was taught from my very early days of flying that starting your transmission with Mayday or Pan was the best way of attracting full attention from your audience. You can explain your problem in more detail later but it helps to have the urgency/emergency mindset triggered in those listening as soon as possible.
I'm not getting at the crew, who dealt with an 'interesting' problem and brought it to a safe conclusion, it just seems that actually declaring an emergency is somehow seen as a 'failure' by some. Don't know why?
