Even more annoying in FCO was when you called for start up and at the instant you released TX switch someone jumped in asking the same in Italian (or Italian accent merely on a good day). After a few doses of this, the solution found to be - speak loudly ,s l o w l y ,and for a long time in English, put callsign at beginning and end of TX and finish TX with an exortation to everyone else to listen before speaking and to speak English. It makes you horribly unpopular and results in a few comments I could only partially translate, but at least you get the start up sometime in the next 10min.
Only worst offenders, and in the air, are Air Nostrum if operating in Spanish airspace. Solution is the same, come straight back as soon as they release the TX but speak more slowly the 2nd time with callsign at beginning as well as end. Even the Spanish controllers usually saw the funny side of that one.
It is a common ploy in many countries, lets pretend we don't understand what the English speaking aircraft said and butt-in speaking the local lingo as we know the controller will take the easy option and get our request out the way first before having to "think English". Sometimes it works, but not if there is an awkward Brit ready to play just as dirty
