hi! i never really understood the meaning of "consenting" in "two consenting bicycle repairmen" in english, but in brazilian portuguese it was translated as "two gay bicycle repairmen", is this an accurate translation? because i really hope it is! thanks! :')
This line is a bit of a confusion point for me, too! And, basically, everyone is just as befuddled. However, here’s what I think is most accurate:
Legal consent refers to two adults engaging in sexual activity. If two adults are engaging in sexual activity that is not mainstream [in this case, homosexuality], then if they’re consenting, everyone just steps back, because that’s their thing, and it’s nobody’s business.
So, this sentence sort of skips over the apparently obvious point of them being gay, and proceeds to move to the description of ‘consenting’ - they’re gay; they’re old enough to have sex if they like, and Anathema is presuming that they do, regardless of whether that’s true or not.
So…no, ‘gay’ isn’t a direct translation. However, there’s a lot that’s implied in the English. Everyone pretty much arrives at the same conclusion as the ‘gay’ translation gives, but without really knowing how. I asked a few people and it’s just…everyone feels it’s gay. It’s super gay. How, exactly, no one can quite pinpoint.
If anyone wants to add on, feel free to. This is just how I think of this line.
Also, I like your translation better.
