I remember years ago on a US Airways 737 flight between Philadelphia and Montreal a request for English speakers to change seats with French speaking passengers who were occupying emergency exit seats. At the time I did wonder how many other airlines take into consideration language problems in emergencies.
(On a related matter, has anyone any experience of cabin/flight deck crew who are non-native English speakers working for airlines based in the English-speaking world and how they responded during emergency situations (specifically in relation to language, of course)? I'd be interested to hear from you.)