- Robert Fagles's Penguin translation ranked first among eight English translations of the Odyssey in a blind reader preference test.
- The test used a self-selected, mostly American social-media sample, with results showing Fagles leading in pairwise strength and raw scores.
- Emily Wilson had the highest named search attention but did not lead the blind test, indicating weak correlation between popularity and preference.
- The study found no evidence of coordinated voting or bot activity, and the ranking remained robust after excluding fast completions and adjusting for scenes.
- Newer translations generally performed better, but the trend mostly separated older verse styles from modern ones rather than steadily rewarding the newest.
- The test did not measure fidelity to Ancient Greek or overall reading experience, focusing only on relative reader preference among eight translations.