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What is the word used for referring to the job that a person does for their company in another place, city, etc. during a specific period of time?

Do we use "assignment" or "mission"? or another word?

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  • mission and assignment both work. On the other hand, contrary to what Watercleave's answer describes, a company can send its employee as a part of their mission; and in armed force, allocating an assignment is quite common. Above all, the commonest phrase I have heard from the employees is I'm here for my company's work.
    – Maulik V
    Commented Jun 9, 2014 at 10:03

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In "civilian" work, "assignment" is normally used. We would say that a person has been assigned to do something, or assigned to a location, and that they are on assignment somewhere.

The word "mission" is used for military, covert (spy) and other such kinds of "work". The word is also used in a religious (or at least Christian, I can't speak for the vocabulary of other groups) context for an outreach programme to a distant location.

Another, equally valid way to look at it is that while "assignment" can be used anywhere, "mission" implies a goal in an environment that is somehow hostile: hostile territory, a foreign country (hostile to a spy, but not to an accountant working at a company branch there), unexplored territory etc.

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  • Another possible word is 'secondment' - a temporary transfer to another job or post within the same organization - which the Collins English Dictionary lists as 'British'. It is used in Australian English.
    – Sydney
    Commented Jun 9, 2014 at 11:49

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