“缘”是所谓命中注定的人与人遇合的机缘。英译“缘分”（亦作“天缘”）以及“有缘”、“无缘”常用的英文词有fate, luck, lot, destiny等。请看几个例子，看看中国名著中的“缘”字是怎么翻译的——

1.宝玉问香菱为何薛蟠相亲定下了金桂，香菱笑道：“一则是天缘，二来是‘情人眼里出西施’。”（《红楼梦》）

It’s partly fate, and partly a case of "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."（杨宪益、戴乃迭　译）

2.富贵功名，前缘分定。（《西游记》）

Wealth and honor, glory and fame, are predetermined by fate. (W.J.F. Jenner 译）

3.王婆为了撮合西门庆和潘金莲，故意问前者是不是妻子死后，没有别的女人他中意的。西门庆争辩说：”做甚么了便没？只恨我夫妻缘分上薄，自不撞着！“（《水浒》）

Who says there isn’t? It’s just that my marriage luck has been bad. I’ve never met the right one. (S. Shapiro 译）

4.她无缘，小生薄命。（《西厢记》）

She lacks the karma; I’m out of luck. (S. H. L. Idema 译）

5.［刘备送别徐庶时说］备分浅缘薄，不能与先生相聚。（《三国演义》）

But I have not been lucky enough to find a true friend, and that is why I so often give way to melancholy! （杨宪益、戴乃迭　译）

6.君琴瑟之好，自相知音；薄命人乌有此福。如有缘，再世可相聚耳。（《聊斋·宦娘》）

You are like a matching lute and zither set. You can appreciate each other’s music. Fate has been too unkind to allow me such blessings. If we are linked by the ties of destiny, we will meet again in the next life. 　(D.C. & V. H Mair 译）

7.［杜慎卿向季苇萧诉说自己没有知心朋友］只为缘悭分浅，遇不着一个知己，所以对月伤怀，临风洒泪！（《儒林外史》）

But I have not been lucky enough to find a true friend, and that is why I so often give way to melancholy! （杨宪益、戴乃迭　译）

8.［方鸿渐看不中张小姐，心中暗说］“我你他”小姐，咱们没有“举碗［案］齐眉”的缘分，希望另有好运气的人来爱上您。（《围城》）

Miss Wo-Ni-Ta, we just weren’t meant to "raise the bowl to the eyebrows." I hope some other lucky guy falls in love with you. (J. Kelly、 N. K. Mao 译）

可以看出，以上句子里的中心词都含有“命运”的意识，英译亦然。《围城》中用到mean一词，据New World Dictionary等词典的解释也有 to destine or seem to destine 的意思，颇为妥帖。

9.［刘备二顾草芦时误认诸葛均为为诸葛亮，说］备久慕先生，无缘拜会。

Your talents and your virtue have ever been the objects of my esteem. But I have not had the honour of being presented to you.

“缘分”等词和命运的关联在有的用法里变得淡化了，甚至完全消失了。它只是泛指一种机遇或者机会。所以M. Roberts翻译《三国演义》的这两句，用的词语和上边英译句子中的相应部分不同。

不仅如此，这种机遇还可以发生在人和事物之间。体育报道里说的“无缘（进入）决赛(be barred from entering the finals; be disqualified for the finals)　即其一例。

10.异哉！李太白是知己，白乐天是启蒙师，余适逢字三白，为卿婿；卿与“白”字何其有缘耶？

This is very strange. So Li Bai is your bosom friend, Bai Juyi is your first tutor and your husband's literary name is Sanbai. It seems that your life is always bound up with the Bai’s.