"can't be helped" - is this a "set phrase" in Japanese?

[Miaow]

I'm in the process of translating a certain phrase that appears quite often in anime and dramas (at this time I watch them subtitled. u_u )

The phrase is "can't be helped". As per the guidelines for this forum, I am NOT asking for a translation - (It would spoil the fun of puzzling it out for myself! ^_^ )

But what occurred to me just now, is that "Can't be helped" in Japanese may be an idiom. Something in English like "She's on a wild goose chase", of course, does not mean that she went out and chased some birds around. ^_^

What I am asking here is simply: Is "Can't be helped" as used in Japanese an idiom that cannot be directly translated? Or is this phrase straightforward? (I want to confirm that my pursuit of this phrase in Japanese through consultation of my books and conjugating is not a wild goose chase!) ^_^

ありがとう!!

Miaow
=^_^=

[chikara]

仕方がない