I would like to be able to copy-paste URL into xterm without \ coming along for the ride. I think they are taken along for the ride because xterm is converting URLs into regular expressions (regexes). For example, if I copy-paste https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u= into xterm it gets transformed into https://translate.google.com/translate\?hl\=en\&sl\=auto\&tl\=en\&u\= Note the backslashes that weren't in the original URL.
My ~/XTerm file, if relevant, is presently:
XTerm*Background: black
XTerm*Foreground: white
XTerm*SaveLines: 2000
XTerm*faceName: Ubuntu mono
XTerm*faceSize: 12
XTerm*rightScrollBar: true
XTerm*ScrollBar: true
XTerm*scrollTtyOutput: true
XTerm*VT100.Translations: #override \
Ctrl<Key>V: insert-selection(CLIPBOARD) \n\
Ctrl<Key>V: insert-selection(PRIMARY) \n\
Shift<Btn1Down>: select-start() \n\
Shift<Btn1Motion>: select-extend() \n\
Shift<Btn1Up>: select-end(CLIPBOARD) \n\
Ctrl <Key>C: copy-selection(CLIPBOARD) \n\
Ctrl <Key>V: insert-selection(CLIPBOARD)