diff --git a/cluster-autoscaler/cloudprovider/aws/aws_wrapper.go b/cluster-autoscaler/cloudprovider/aws/aws_wrapper.go
index b8c1f71b661b..beba83acb32e 100644
--- a/cluster-autoscaler/cloudprovider/aws/aws_wrapper.go
+++ b/cluster-autoscaler/cloudprovider/aws/aws_wrapper.go
@@ -118,10 +118,14 @@ func (m *awsWrapper) getManagedNodegroupInfo(nodegroupName string, clusterName s
 		taintList := r.Nodegroup.Taints
 		for _, taint := range taintList {
 			if taint != nil && taint.Effect != nil && taint.Key != nil && taint.Value != nil {
+				formattedEffect, err := taintEksTranslator(taint)
+				if err != nil {
+					return nil, nil, nil, err
+				}
 				taints = append(taints, apiv1.Taint{
 					Key:    *taint.Key,
 					Value:  *taint.Value,
-					Effect: apiv1.TaintEffect(*taint.Effect),
+					Effect: apiv1.TaintEffect(formattedEffect),
 				})
 			}
 		}
@@ -780,3 +784,21 @@ func buildLaunchTemplateFromSpec(ltSpec *autoscaling.LaunchTemplateSpecification
 		version: version,
 	}
 }
+
+func taintEksTranslator(t *eks.Taint) (apiv1.TaintEffect, error) {
+	// Translation between AWS EKS and Kubernetes taints
+	//
+	// See:
+	//
+	// https://docs.aws.amazon.com/eks/latest/APIReference/API_Taint.html
+	switch effect := *t.Effect; effect {
+	case eks.TaintEffectNoSchedule:
+		return apiv1.TaintEffectNoSchedule, nil
+	case eks.TaintEffectNoExecute:
+		return apiv1.TaintEffectNoExecute, nil
+	case eks.TaintEffectPreferNoSchedule:
+		return apiv1.TaintEffectPreferNoSchedule, nil
+	default:
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("couldn't translate EKS DescribeNodegroup response taint %s into Kubernetes format", effect)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/cluster-autoscaler/cloudprovider/aws/aws_wrapper_test.go b/cluster-autoscaler/cloudprovider/aws/aws_wrapper_test.go
index 63b5f23baea0..44b745014cf3 100644
--- a/cluster-autoscaler/cloudprovider/aws/aws_wrapper_test.go
+++ b/cluster-autoscaler/cloudprovider/aws/aws_wrapper_test.go
@@ -114,7 +114,8 @@ func TestGetManagedNodegroup(t *testing.T) {
 	nodegroupName := "testNodegroup"
 	clusterName := "testCluster"
 
-	taintEffect1 := "effect 1"
+	taintEffect1 := eks.TaintEffectNoSchedule
+	taintEffectTranslated1 := apiv1.TaintEffectNoSchedule
 	taintKey1 := "key 1"
 	taintValue1 := "value 1"
 	taint1 := eks.Taint{
@@ -123,7 +124,8 @@ func TestGetManagedNodegroup(t *testing.T) {
 		Value:  &taintValue1,
 	}
 
-	taintEffect2 := "effect 2"
+	taintEffect2 := eks.TaintEffectNoExecute
+	taintEffectTranslated2 := apiv1.TaintEffectNoExecute
 	taintKey2 := "key 2"
 	taintValue2 := "value 2"
 	taint2 := eks.Taint{
@@ -163,10 +165,10 @@ func TestGetManagedNodegroup(t *testing.T) {
 	taintList, labelMap, tagMap, err := awsWrapper.getManagedNodegroupInfo(nodegroupName, clusterName)
 	assert.Nil(t, err)
 	assert.Equal(t, len(taintList), 2)
-	assert.Equal(t, taintList[0].Effect, apiv1.TaintEffect(taintEffect1))
+	assert.Equal(t, taintList[0].Effect, taintEffectTranslated1)
 	assert.Equal(t, taintList[0].Key, taintKey1)
 	assert.Equal(t, taintList[0].Value, taintValue1)
-	assert.Equal(t, taintList[1].Effect, apiv1.TaintEffect(taintEffect2))
+	assert.Equal(t, taintList[1].Effect, taintEffectTranslated2)
 	assert.Equal(t, taintList[1].Key, taintKey2)
 	assert.Equal(t, taintList[1].Value, taintValue2)
 	assert.Equal(t, len(labelMap), 7)
@@ -735,3 +737,51 @@ func TestGetInstanceTypesFromInstanceRequirementsWithEmptyList(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.EqualError(t, err, exp.Error())
 	assert.Equal(t, "", result)
 }
+
+func TestTaintEksTranslator(t *testing.T) {
+	key := "key"
+	value := "value"
+
+	taintEffect1 := eks.TaintEffectNoSchedule
+	taintEffectTranslated1 := apiv1.TaintEffectNoSchedule
+	taint1 := eks.Taint{
+		Effect: &taintEffect1,
+		Key:    &key,
+		Value:  &value,
+	}
+
+	t1, err := taintEksTranslator(&taint1)
+	assert.Nil(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, t1, taintEffectTranslated1)
+
+	taintEffect2 := eks.TaintEffectNoSchedule
+	taintEffectTranslated2 := apiv1.TaintEffectNoSchedule
+	taint2 := eks.Taint{
+		Effect: &taintEffect2,
+		Key:    &key,
+		Value:  &value,
+	}
+	t2, err := taintEksTranslator(&taint2)
+	assert.Nil(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, t2, taintEffectTranslated2)
+
+	taintEffect3 := eks.TaintEffectNoExecute
+	taintEffectTranslated3 := apiv1.TaintEffectNoExecute
+	taint3 := eks.Taint{
+		Effect: &taintEffect3,
+		Key:    &key,
+		Value:  &value,
+	}
+	t3, err := taintEksTranslator(&taint3)
+	assert.Nil(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, t3, taintEffectTranslated3)
+
+	taintEffect4 := "TAINT_NO_EXISTS"
+	taint4 := eks.Taint{
+		Effect: &taintEffect4,
+		Key:    &key,
+		Value:  &value,
+	}
+	_, err = taintEksTranslator(&taint4)
+	assert.Error(t, err)
+}
diff --git a/cluster-autoscaler/cloudprovider/aws/managed_nodegroup_cache_test.go b/cluster-autoscaler/cloudprovider/aws/managed_nodegroup_cache_test.go
index a944bf611ae2..84e950adb4f0 100644
--- a/cluster-autoscaler/cloudprovider/aws/managed_nodegroup_cache_test.go
+++ b/cluster-autoscaler/cloudprovider/aws/managed_nodegroup_cache_test.go
@@ -35,13 +35,13 @@ func TestManagedNodegroupCache(t *testing.T) {
 	clusterName := "clusterName"
 	labelKey := "label key 1"
 	labelValue := "label value 1"
-	taintEffect := "effect 1"
+	taintEffect := apiv1.TaintEffectNoSchedule
 	taintKey := "key 1"
 	taintValue := "value 1"
 	tagKey := "tag key 1"
 	tagValue := "tag value 1"
 	taint := apiv1.Taint{
-		Effect: apiv1.TaintEffect(taintEffect),
+		Effect: taintEffect,
 		Key:    taintKey,
 		Value:  taintValue,
 	}
@@ -154,7 +154,8 @@ func TestGetManagedNodegroupWithTaintsAndLabels(t *testing.T) {
 	labelValue1 := "testValue 1"
 	labelValue2 := "testValue 2"
 
-	taintEffect1 := "effect 1"
+	taintEffect1 := eks.TaintEffectNoSchedule
+	taintEffectTranslated1 := apiv1.TaintEffectNoSchedule
 	taintKey1 := "key 1"
 	taintValue1 := "value 1"
 	taint1 := eks.Taint{
@@ -163,7 +164,8 @@ func TestGetManagedNodegroupWithTaintsAndLabels(t *testing.T) {
 		Value:  &taintValue1,
 	}
 
-	taintEffect2 := "effect 2"
+	taintEffect2 := eks.TaintEffectNoExecute
+	taintEffectTranslated2 := apiv1.TaintEffectNoExecute
 	taintKey2 := "key 2"
 	taintValue2 := "value 2"
 	taint2 := eks.Taint{
@@ -202,10 +204,10 @@ func TestGetManagedNodegroupWithTaintsAndLabels(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.Equal(t, cacheObj.name, nodegroupName)
 	assert.Equal(t, cacheObj.clusterName, clusterName)
 	assert.Equal(t, len(cacheObj.taints), 2)
-	assert.Equal(t, cacheObj.taints[0].Effect, apiv1.TaintEffect(taintEffect1))
+	assert.Equal(t, cacheObj.taints[0].Effect, taintEffectTranslated1)
 	assert.Equal(t, cacheObj.taints[0].Key, taintKey1)
 	assert.Equal(t, cacheObj.taints[0].Value, taintValue1)
-	assert.Equal(t, cacheObj.taints[1].Effect, apiv1.TaintEffect(taintEffect2))
+	assert.Equal(t, cacheObj.taints[1].Effect, taintEffectTranslated2)
 	assert.Equal(t, cacheObj.taints[1].Key, taintKey2)
 	assert.Equal(t, cacheObj.taints[1].Value, taintValue2)
 	assert.Equal(t, len(cacheObj.labels), 7)
@@ -249,11 +251,11 @@ func TestGetManagedNodegroupInfoObjectWithCachedNodegroup(t *testing.T) {
 	clusterName := "clusterName"
 	labelKey := "label key 1"
 	labelValue := "label value 1"
-	taintEffect := "effect 1"
+	taintEffect := apiv1.TaintEffectNoSchedule
 	taintKey := "key 1"
 	taintValue := "value 1"
 	taint := apiv1.Taint{
-		Effect: apiv1.TaintEffect(taintEffect),
+		Effect: taintEffect,
 		Key:    taintKey,
 		Value:  taintValue,
 	}
@@ -345,11 +347,11 @@ func TestGetManagedNodegroupLabelsWithCachedNodegroup(t *testing.T) {
 	clusterName := "clusterName"
 	labelKey := "label key 1"
 	labelValue := "label value 1"
-	taintEffect := "effect 1"
+	taintEffect := apiv1.TaintEffectNoSchedule
 	taintKey := "key 1"
 	taintValue := "value 1"
 	taint := apiv1.Taint{
-		Effect: apiv1.TaintEffect(taintEffect),
+		Effect: taintEffect,
 		Key:    taintKey,
 		Value:  taintValue,
 	}
@@ -568,7 +570,8 @@ func TestGetManagedNodegroupTaintsNoCachedNodegroup(t *testing.T) {
 	k8sVersion := "1.19"
 	diskSize := int64(100)
 
-	taintEffect1 := "effect 1"
+	taintEffect1 := eks.TaintEffectNoExecute
+	taintEffectTranslated1 := apiv1.TaintEffectNoExecute
 	taintKey1 := "key 1"
 	taintValue1 := "value 1"
 	taint1 := eks.Taint{
@@ -577,7 +580,8 @@ func TestGetManagedNodegroupTaintsNoCachedNodegroup(t *testing.T) {
 		Value:  &taintValue1,
 	}
 
-	taintEffect2 := "effect 2"
+	taintEffect2 := eks.TaintEffectPreferNoSchedule
+	taintEffectTranslated2 := apiv1.TaintEffectPreferNoSchedule
 	taintKey2 := "key 2"
 	taintValue2 := "value 2"
 	taint2 := eks.Taint{
@@ -608,10 +612,10 @@ func TestGetManagedNodegroupTaintsNoCachedNodegroup(t *testing.T) {
 	taintsList, err := c.getManagedNodegroupTaints(nodegroupName, clusterName)
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 	assert.Equal(t, len(taintsList), 2)
-	assert.Equal(t, taintsList[0].Effect, apiv1.TaintEffect(taintEffect1))
+	assert.Equal(t, taintsList[0].Effect, taintEffectTranslated1)
 	assert.Equal(t, taintsList[0].Key, taintKey1)
 	assert.Equal(t, taintsList[0].Value, taintValue1)
-	assert.Equal(t, taintsList[1].Effect, apiv1.TaintEffect(taintEffect2))
+	assert.Equal(t, taintsList[1].Effect, taintEffectTranslated2)
 	assert.Equal(t, taintsList[1].Key, taintKey2)
 	assert.Equal(t, taintsList[1].Value, taintValue2)
 	k.AssertCalled(t, "DescribeNodegroup", &eks.DescribeNodegroupInput{
@@ -627,11 +631,11 @@ func TestGetManagedNodegroupTagsWithCachedNodegroup(t *testing.T) {
 	clusterName := "clusterName"
 	labelKey := "label key 1"
 	labelValue := "label value 1"
-	taintEffect := "effect 1"
+	taintEffect := apiv1.TaintEffectNoSchedule
 	taintKey := "key 1"
 	taintValue := "value 1"
 	taint := apiv1.Taint{
-		Effect: apiv1.TaintEffect(taintEffect),
+		Effect: taintEffect,
 		Key:    taintKey,
 		Value:  taintValue,
 	}
@@ -667,7 +671,7 @@ func TestGetManagedNodegroupTagsNoCachedNodegroup(t *testing.T) {
 	k8sVersion := "1.19"
 	diskSize := int64(100)
 
-	taintEffect1 := "effect 1"
+	taintEffect1 := eks.TaintEffectNoSchedule
 	taintKey1 := "key 1"
 	taintValue1 := "value 1"
 	taint1 := eks.Taint{
@@ -676,7 +680,7 @@ func TestGetManagedNodegroupTagsNoCachedNodegroup(t *testing.T) {
 		Value:  &taintValue1,
 	}
 
-	taintEffect2 := "effect 2"
+	taintEffect2 := eks.TaintEffectPreferNoSchedule
 	taintKey2 := "key 2"
 	taintValue2 := "value 2"
 	taint2 := eks.Taint{