汉英词典中的翻译为： one who stays near vermilion gets stained red, and one who stays near ink gets stained black. 或 one takes on the color of one's company.

也有人译成：When you touch black, you become black, when you touch red, you become red.

英语国家中也有一些相近的表达方式：

One takes the behavior of one's company.(一个人的行为，往往受到朋友的影响。)

One takes on the attributes of one's associates. (attributes 复数時是指品质、特性；associates指朋友、同事)

Watch the company you keep！（小心交朋友！）

As one who lies with dogs will ride with fleas, how could your son learn anything good by mixing with those people? (就象和狗躺在一起的人身上会爬满虱子，你儿子跟那些人混在一起,能学出个好样来?)