diff --git a/sphinx/writers/latex.py b/sphinx/writers/latex.py
index 832d34dfa..0d2b2bc97 100644
--- a/sphinx/writers/latex.py
+++ b/sphinx/writers/latex.py
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ from sphinx.util import split_into, logging
 from sphinx.util.docutils import SphinxTranslator
 from sphinx.util.nodes import clean_astext, get_prev_node
 from sphinx.util.template import LaTeXRenderer
-from sphinx.util.texescape import tex_escape_map, tex_replace_map
+from sphinx.util.texescape import escape, tex_replace_map
 
 try:
     from docutils.utils.roman import toRoman
@@ -499,6 +499,9 @@ class LaTeXTranslator(SphinxTranslator):
         self.compact_list = 0
         self.first_param = 0
 
+        # escape helper
+        self.escape = escape
+
         # sort out some elements
         self.elements = self.builder.context.copy()
 
@@ -757,8 +760,7 @@ class LaTeXTranslator(SphinxTranslator):
             for i, (letter, entries) in enumerate(content):
                 if i > 0:
                     ret.append('\\indexspace\n')
-                ret.append('\\bigletter{%s}\n' %
-                           str(letter).translate(tex_escape_map))
+                ret.append('\\bigletter{%s}\n' % self.escape(letter))
                 for entry in entries:
                     if not entry[3]:
                         continue
@@ -913,14 +915,13 @@ class LaTeXTranslator(SphinxTranslator):
                 if not self.elements['title']:
                     # text needs to be escaped since it is inserted into
                     # the output literally
-                    self.elements['title'] = node.astext().translate(tex_escape_map)
+                    self.elements['title'] = self.escape(node.astext())
                 self.this_is_the_title = 0
                 raise nodes.SkipNode
             else:
                 short = ''
                 if node.traverse(nodes.image):
-                    short = ('[%s]' %
-                             ' '.join(clean_astext(node).split()).translate(tex_escape_map))
+                    short = ('[%s]' % self.escape(' '.join(clean_astext(node).split())))
 
                 try:
                     self.body.append(r'\%s%s{' % (self.sectionnames[self.sectionlevel], short))
@@ -1954,8 +1955,7 @@ class LaTeXTranslator(SphinxTranslator):
         else:
             id = node.get('refuri', '')[1:].replace('#', ':')
 
-        title = node.get('title', '%s')
-        title = str(title).translate(tex_escape_map).replace('\\%s', '%s')
+        title = self.escape(node.get('title', '%s')).replace('\\%s', '%s')
         if '\\{name\\}' in title or '\\{number\\}' in title:
             # new style format (cf. "Fig.%{number}")
             title = title.replace('\\{name\\}', '{name}').replace('\\{number\\}', '{number}')
@@ -2403,7 +2403,7 @@ class LaTeXTranslator(SphinxTranslator):
 
     def encode(self, text):
         # type: (str) -> str
-        text = str(text).translate(tex_escape_map)
+        text = self.escape(text)
         if self.literal_whitespace:
             # Insert a blank before the newline, to avoid
             # ! LaTeX Error: There's no line here to end.
@@ -2614,33 +2614,31 @@ class LaTeXTranslator(SphinxTranslator):
         ret = []  # type: List[str]
         figure = self.builder.config.numfig_format['figure'].split('%s', 1)
         if len(figure) == 1:
-            ret.append('\\def\\fnum@figure{%s}\n' %
-                       str(figure[0]).strip().translate(tex_escape_map))
+            ret.append('\\def\\fnum@figure{%s}\n' % self.escape(figure[0]).strip())
         else:
-            definition = escape_abbr(str(figure[0]).translate(tex_escape_map))
+            definition = escape_abbr(self.escape(figure[0]))
             ret.append(self.babel_renewcommand('\\figurename', definition))
             ret.append('\\makeatletter\n')
             ret.append('\\def\\fnum@figure{\\figurename\\thefigure{}%s}\n' %
-                       str(figure[1]).translate(tex_escape_map))
+                       self.escape(figure[1]))
             ret.append('\\makeatother\n')
 
         table = self.builder.config.numfig_format['table'].split('%s', 1)
         if len(table) == 1:
-            ret.append('\\def\\fnum@table{%s}\n' %
-                       str(table[0]).strip().translate(tex_escape_map))
+            ret.append('\\def\\fnum@table{%s}\n' % self.escape(table[0]).strip())
         else:
-            definition = escape_abbr(str(table[0]).translate(tex_escape_map))
+            definition = escape_abbr(self.escape(table[0]))
             ret.append(self.babel_renewcommand('\\tablename', definition))
             ret.append('\\makeatletter\n')
             ret.append('\\def\\fnum@table{\\tablename\\thetable{}%s}\n' %
-                       str(table[1]).translate(tex_escape_map))
+                       self.escape(table[1]))
             ret.append('\\makeatother\n')
 
         codeblock = self.builder.config.numfig_format['code-block'].split('%s', 1)
         if len(codeblock) == 1:
             pass  # FIXME
         else:
-            definition = str(codeblock[0]).strip().translate(tex_escape_map)
+            definition = self.escape(codeblock[0]).strip()
             ret.append(self.babel_renewcommand('\\literalblockname', definition))
             if codeblock[1]:
                 pass  # FIXME