diff --git a/pkg/controllers/resources/pods/translate/translator.go b/pkg/controllers/resources/pods/translate/translator.go
index 5dc505562..a4d8899e2 100644
--- a/pkg/controllers/resources/pods/translate/translator.go
+++ b/pkg/controllers/resources/pods/translate/translator.go
@@ -764,7 +764,7 @@ func (t *translator) translatePodAffinityTerm(vPod *corev1.Pod, term corev1.PodA
 			}
 		} else if term.NamespaceSelector != nil {
 			// translate namespace label selector
-			newAffinityTerm.LabelSelector = translate.LabelSelectorWithPrefix(NamespaceLabelPrefix, term.NamespaceSelector)
+			newAffinityTerm.LabelSelector = translate.MergeLabelSelectors(newAffinityTerm.LabelSelector, translate.LabelSelectorWithPrefix(NamespaceLabelPrefix, term.NamespaceSelector))
 		} else {
 			// Match namespace where pod is in
 			// k8s docs: "a null or empty namespaces list and null namespaceSelector means "this pod's namespace""
diff --git a/pkg/controllers/resources/pods/translate/translator_test.go b/pkg/controllers/resources/pods/translate/translator_test.go
index 1083de2a8..626dc54ab 100644
--- a/pkg/controllers/resources/pods/translate/translator_test.go
+++ b/pkg/controllers/resources/pods/translate/translator_test.go
@@ -6,8 +6,8 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/loft-sh/vcluster/pkg/util/loghelper"
 	"github.com/loft-sh/vcluster/pkg/util/translate"
-	"gotest.tools/assert"
-	"gotest.tools/assert/cmp"
+	"gotest.tools/v3/assert"
+	"gotest.tools/v3/assert/cmp"
 	corev1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
 	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
 	"k8s.io/client-go/tools/record"
@@ -46,7 +46,10 @@ func TestPodAffinityTermsTranslation(t *testing.T) {
 				Namespaces:    []string{},
 			},
 			expectedTerm: corev1.PodAffinityTerm{
-				LabelSelector: appendToMatchLabels(basicSelectorTranslatedWithMarker, translate.NamespaceLabel, pod.GetNamespace()),
+				LabelSelector: translate.MergeLabelSelectors(
+					basicSelectorTranslatedWithMarker,
+					&metav1.LabelSelector{MatchLabels: map[string]string{translate.NamespaceLabel: pod.GetNamespace()}},
+				),
 			},
 		},
 		{
@@ -56,7 +59,9 @@ func TestPodAffinityTermsTranslation(t *testing.T) {
 				Namespaces:    []string{pod.GetNamespace(), "dummy namespace"},
 			},
 			expectedTerm: corev1.PodAffinityTerm{
-				LabelSelector: appendNamespacesToMatchExpressions(basicSelectorTranslatedWithMarker, pod.GetNamespace(), "dummy namespace"),
+				LabelSelector: appendNamespacesToMatchExpressions(
+					basicSelectorTranslatedWithMarker,
+					pod.GetNamespace(), "dummy namespace"),
 			},
 		},
 		{
@@ -78,7 +83,10 @@ func TestPodAffinityTermsTranslation(t *testing.T) {
 				NamespaceSelector: basicSelector,
 			},
 			expectedTerm: corev1.PodAffinityTerm{
-				LabelSelector: appendNamespacesToMatchExpressions(basicSelectorTranslatedWithMarker, pod.GetNamespace()),
+				LabelSelector: appendNamespacesToMatchExpressions(
+					basicSelectorTranslatedWithMarker,
+					pod.GetNamespace(),
+				),
 			},
 			expectedEvents: []string{"Warning SyncWarning Inter-pod affinity rule(s) that use both .namespaces and .namespaceSelector fields in the same term are not supported by vcluster yet. The .namespaceSelector fields of the unsupported affinity entries will be ignored."},
 		},
@@ -93,11 +101,12 @@ func TestPodAffinityTermsTranslation(t *testing.T) {
 				},
 			},
 			expectedTerm: corev1.PodAffinityTerm{
-				LabelSelector: appendToMatchLabels(&metav1.LabelSelector{
-					MatchLabels: map[string]string{
+				LabelSelector: translate.MergeLabelSelectors(
+					basicSelectorTranslatedWithMarker,
+					&metav1.LabelSelector{MatchLabels: map[string]string{
 						translate.ConvertLabelKeyWithPrefix(NamespaceLabelPrefix, longKey): "good-value",
-					},
-				}, translate.MarkerLabel, translate.VClusterName),
+					}},
+				),
 			},
 		},
 		{
@@ -115,15 +124,18 @@ func TestPodAffinityTermsTranslation(t *testing.T) {
 				},
 			},
 			expectedTerm: corev1.PodAffinityTerm{
-				LabelSelector: appendToMatchLabels(&metav1.LabelSelector{
-					MatchExpressions: []metav1.LabelSelectorRequirement{
-						{
-							Key:      translate.ConvertLabelKeyWithPrefix(NamespaceLabelPrefix, longKey),
-							Operator: metav1.LabelSelectorOpNotIn,
-							Values:   []string{"bad-value"},
+				LabelSelector: translate.MergeLabelSelectors(
+					basicSelectorTranslatedWithMarker,
+					&metav1.LabelSelector{
+						MatchExpressions: []metav1.LabelSelectorRequirement{
+							{
+								Key:      translate.ConvertLabelKeyWithPrefix(NamespaceLabelPrefix, longKey),
+								Operator: metav1.LabelSelectorOpNotIn,
+								Values:   []string{"bad-value"},
+							},
 						},
 					},
-				}, translate.MarkerLabel, translate.VClusterName),
+				),
 			},
 		},
 	}
@@ -196,17 +208,19 @@ func TestVolumeTranslation(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	for _, testCase := range testCases {
-		fakeRecorder := record.NewFakeRecorder(10)
-		tr := &translator{
-			eventRecorder: fakeRecorder,
-			log:           loghelper.New("pods-syncer-translator-test"),
-			pClient:       fake.NewClientBuilder().Build(),
-		}
+		t.Run(testCase.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			fakeRecorder := record.NewFakeRecorder(10)
+			tr := &translator{
+				eventRecorder: fakeRecorder,
+				log:           loghelper.New("pods-syncer-translator-test"),
+				pClient:       fake.NewClientBuilder().Build(),
+			}
 
-		pPod := testCase.vPod.DeepCopy()
-		err := tr.translateVolumes(context.Background(), pPod, &testCase.vPod)
-		assert.NilError(t, err)
-		assert.Assert(t, cmp.DeepEqual(pPod.Spec.Volumes, testCase.expectedVolumes), "Unexpected translation of the Volumes in the '%s' test case", testCase.name)
+			pPod := testCase.vPod.DeepCopy()
+			err := tr.translateVolumes(context.Background(), pPod, &testCase.vPod)
+			assert.NilError(t, err)
+			assert.Assert(t, cmp.DeepEqual(pPod.Spec.Volumes, testCase.expectedVolumes), "Unexpected translation of the Volumes in the '%s' test case", testCase.name)
+		})
 	}
 }
 
@@ -216,15 +230,6 @@ type translatePodVolumesTestCase struct {
 	expectedVolumes []corev1.Volume
 }
 
-func appendToMatchLabels(source *metav1.LabelSelector, k, v string) *metav1.LabelSelector {
-	ls := source.DeepCopy()
-	if ls.MatchLabels == nil {
-		ls.MatchLabels = map[string]string{}
-	}
-	ls.MatchLabels[k] = v
-	return ls
-}
-
 func appendNamespacesToMatchExpressions(source *metav1.LabelSelector, namespaces ...string) *metav1.LabelSelector {
 	ls := source.DeepCopy()
 	ls.MatchExpressions = append(ls.MatchExpressions, metav1.LabelSelectorRequirement{