diff --git a/Lib/fnmatch.py b/Lib/fnmatch.py
index d5e296f7748c1c..96b2cd8bbc8cbe 100644
--- a/Lib/fnmatch.py
+++ b/Lib/fnmatch.py
@@ -71,6 +71,46 @@ def fnmatchcase(name, pat):
     return match(name) is not None
 
 
+_TRANSLATE_RE = re.compile(
+    r'(?P<star>\*+)|'
+    r'(?P<question_mark>\?)|'
+    r'(?P<set>\[(?P<negated>!?+)(?P<set_inner>\]?+[^\]]*)\])|'
+    r'(?P<literal>.)',
+    flags=re.DOTALL)
+
+
+def _translate_iter(pat, star, question_mark):
+    for match in _TRANSLATE_RE.finditer(pat):
+        if match.group('star'):
+            yield star
+        elif match.group('question_mark'):
+            yield question_mark
+        elif match.group('set'):
+            inner = ''.join(_translate_set_iter(match.group('set_inner')))
+            if match.group('negated'):
+                yield f'[^{inner}]' if inner else question_mark
+            else:
+                yield f'[{inner}]' if inner else '(?!)'
+        else:
+            yield re.escape(match.group())
+
+
+_TRANSLATE_SET_RE = re.compile(
+    r'(?P<range>(?P<start>.)-(?P<end>.))|'
+    r'(?P<literal>.)',
+    flags=re.DOTALL)
+
+
+def _translate_set_iter(token):
+    for match in _TRANSLATE_SET_RE.finditer(token):
+        if match.group('range'):
+            start, end = match.group('start'), match.group('end')
+            if start <= end:
+                yield f'{re.escape(start)}-{re.escape(end)}'
+        else:
+            yield re.escape(match.group())
+
+
 def translate(pat):
     """Translate a shell PATTERN to a regular expression.
 
@@ -78,77 +118,9 @@ def translate(pat):
     """
 
     STAR = object()
-    res = []
-    add = res.append
-    i, n = 0, len(pat)
-    while i < n:
-        c = pat[i]
-        i = i+1
-        if c == '*':
-            # compress consecutive `*` into one
-            if (not res) or res[-1] is not STAR:
-                add(STAR)
-        elif c == '?':
-            add('.')
-        elif c == '[':
-            j = i
-            if j < n and pat[j] == '!':
-                j = j+1
-            if j < n and pat[j] == ']':
-                j = j+1
-            while j < n and pat[j] != ']':
-                j = j+1
-            if j >= n:
-                add('\\[')
-            else:
-                stuff = pat[i:j]
-                if '-' not in stuff:
-                    stuff = stuff.replace('\\', r'\\')
-                else:
-                    chunks = []
-                    k = i+2 if pat[i] == '!' else i+1
-                    while True:
-                        k = pat.find('-', k, j)
-                        if k < 0:
-                            break
-                        chunks.append(pat[i:k])
-                        i = k+1
-                        k = k+3
-                    chunk = pat[i:j]
-                    if chunk:
-                        chunks.append(chunk)
-                    else:
-                        chunks[-1] += '-'
-                    # Remove empty ranges -- invalid in RE.
-                    for k in range(len(chunks)-1, 0, -1):
-                        if chunks[k-1][-1] > chunks[k][0]:
-                            chunks[k-1] = chunks[k-1][:-1] + chunks[k][1:]
-                            del chunks[k]
-                    # Escape backslashes and hyphens for set difference (--).
-                    # Hyphens that create ranges shouldn't be escaped.
-                    stuff = '-'.join(s.replace('\\', r'\\').replace('-', r'\-')
-                                     for s in chunks)
-                # Escape set operations (&&, ~~ and ||).
-                stuff = re.sub(r'([&~|])', r'\\\1', stuff)
-                i = j+1
-                if not stuff:
-                    # Empty range: never match.
-                    add('(?!)')
-                elif stuff == '!':
-                    # Negated empty range: match any character.
-                    add('.')
-                else:
-                    if stuff[0] == '!':
-                        stuff = '^' + stuff[1:]
-                    elif stuff[0] in ('^', '['):
-                        stuff = '\\' + stuff
-                    add(f'[{stuff}]')
-        else:
-            add(re.escape(c))
-    assert i == n
+    inp = list(_translate_iter(pat, STAR, '.'))
 
     # Deal with STARs.
-    inp = res
     res = []
     add = res.append
     i, n = 0, len(inp)
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_fnmatch.py b/Lib/test/test_fnmatch.py
index 10ed496d4e2f37..eb25de2d9b07ed 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_fnmatch.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_fnmatch.py
@@ -225,7 +225,7 @@ def test_translate(self):
         self.assertEqual(translate('?'), r'(?s:.)\Z')
         self.assertEqual(translate('a?b*'), r'(?s:a.b.*)\Z')
         self.assertEqual(translate('[abc]'), r'(?s:[abc])\Z')
-        self.assertEqual(translate('[]]'), r'(?s:[]])\Z')
+        self.assertEqual(translate('[]]'), r'(?s:[\]])\Z')
         self.assertEqual(translate('[!x]'), r'(?s:[^x])\Z')
         self.assertEqual(translate('[^x]'), r'(?s:[\^x])\Z')
         self.assertEqual(translate('[x'), r'(?s:\[x)\Z')
@@ -235,7 +235,7 @@ def test_translate(self):
         self.assertEqual(translate('*********'), r'(?s:.*)\Z')
         self.assertEqual(translate('A*********'), r'(?s:A.*)\Z')
         self.assertEqual(translate('*********A'), r'(?s:.*A)\Z')
-        self.assertEqual(translate('A*********?[?]?'), r'(?s:A.*.[?].)\Z')
+        self.assertEqual(translate('A*********?[?]?'), r'(?s:A.*.[\?].)\Z')
         # fancy translation to prevent exponential-time match failure
         t = translate('**a*a****a')
         self.assertEqual(t, r'(?s:(?>.*?a)(?>.*?a).*a)\Z')