Faux ami: mission

A faux ami (a ‘false friend’ in English) is a word which looks or sounds similar to a word in another language but has a different meaning. I previously wrote about other faux amis on my blog.

The French word mission does not always translate as the English word mission. This is more nuanced than other faux amis but using an appropriate English word can make your meaning clearer in a business context.

In English, mission has the sense of an important, specific task which often involves international travel. For example, we talk about a military mission, a peacekeeping mission, or a humanitarian mission. It can also refer to a specific goal, as in a company’s ‘mission statement’.

In an everyday business context, we do not usually use the word mission. Depending on the situation, we can use words such as job, assignment, duty, task. In the following examples, the word mission would sound strange in English. I have given some better alternatives:

❌ Find your ideal mission on our website.

✅ Find your ideal job on our website.

❌ We are looking for a paralegal for a 3-month mission.

✅ We are looking for a paralegal for a 3-month assignment.

✅ We are looking for a paralegal for a 3-month contract.

❌ Your missions will include legal research.

✅ Your duties will include legal research.

✅ Your tasks will include legal research.

[You are likely to see the words ‘duties’ and ‘responsibilities’ in a more formal context, perhaps in an employment contract. ‘Tasks’ is a more common word.]