Vlad said, ‘brownie points’? HA! I thought that lame expression was only used Stateside.
Really good translators can substitute a comparable idiom in one language for an idiom in another, without directly translating it word for word. Idioms are exceptions to normal rules of syntax and grammar, and should be handled with deeper understanding of the feeling they are trying to convey.
For example, a common idiom for being retired (from working) in Italian is "to give to the pigeons". If a comment is made about whether a person is still working, a rather literal translator might render the response as, "I feed the pigeons"; but a really good translator would know to say, "I'm retired now."