Originally Posted by Jucky
If you are in any doubt there is no doubt, just ask the controller if you have been cleared to penetrate the MATZ.
Ah, yes, but, what when you can't understand the answer because it isn't in English??
(After several "please say again" requests, all of which are followed by a completely and totally and utterly impenetrable American accent, there is a very real temptation to just tell them what you're intending to do and then carry on through the MATZ. Particularly if you have just about managed to parse a four digit octal number from something they said earlier and dialled it into the transponder.)