A new football Adidas Jabulani will be used at World Cup 2010. The Teamgeist ball in 2006 was the roundest that had ever been seen before. Incredibly the Jabulani is even rounder！ The Jabulani has only eight thermally bonded panels, which makes the ball a perfect sphere and ensures accuracy.
2010年世界盃足球賽將使用愛迪達全新設計的Jabulani（歡慶）球。2006年世足賽的Teamgeist（團隊精神）球，當時號稱是史上空前最圓的足球。令人難以置信的是：今年的Jabulani更圓！這個球只有8面熱黏合的球面嵌片，使球體更完美並確保準確性。
Adidas has turned up the dial to 11 with its new match ball for the 2010 World Cup — the Jabulani, which means to celebrate in the Bantu language isiZulu. There are 11 different colors on the ball, which represent the 11 players on the field for each team. It is the 11th official Adidas World Cup match ball. There are 11 official languages in South Africa among the country's 11 tribes.
愛迪達決定推出今年世足賽官方比賽用的新球Jabulani時主打 11這個數字。Jabulani南非班圖語系祖魯語意指「歡慶」。這個球有11種不同的顏色，代表每支球隊場上的11名選手；這也是愛迪達所生產的第11個世界盃正式比賽用球；此外，南非11個部落有11種官方語言。
“It is all about innovation,” said Antonio Zea, director of Adidas Soccer North America. “The ball is the icon of the World Cup, the most visible symbol of the event. We try to include it in everything we do. And with some new technology — thermal bonding — we believe we've moved into a different realm. We've reduced the seams, using innovative ideas and materials from aerospace to determine the flight of the balls. We're striving for it to have the same weight and shape in the first minute and the 90th minute. It's about enabling the players to perform at the highest level.”
「這全靠創新設計。」北美愛迪達足球總部主任齊亞說：「球是世界盃的圖騰，也是賽事最明顯的標誌，我們嘗試把它融入我們所做的一切中。再加上某種創新科技『熱黏合』，我們自認已進入不同的境界。我們減少接縫，利用航太創新技術概念和材料，以確定球的飛行路線。我們也努力使球在第1分鐘和第90分鐘的重量和形狀始終如一，這可確保球員能有最高水平的表現。」
Adidas said that its new Grip'n' Groove technology enabled a more stable flight and the goosebumps on the ball's surface called Aero Grooves provided players with a perfect grip under all conditions. With only eight thermally bonded panels, which are spherically molded, the ball is perfectly round and more accurate.
愛迪達表示，新的「緊吸凹槽壓線技術」使球體飛行更穩定，球面上稱為「動力凹槽」的「超微凸顆紋」，也可以加強球員在任何情況下能完美控球。由於只有8片熱黏合球面嵌片，使球呈現更完美的圓形，同時也更精準。
“We wanted to move away from a stitched ball and get a uniform product all the time,” Zea said about the Jabulani, which is manufactured in Asia. “The first ball is the same as the millionth ball. Uniformity gives it perfect balance in flight and reduces water uptake. With 32 panels, there are always intersecting seams and it effects shots and passes. This ball creates a uniform kicking surface and eliminates hot spots. We believe we've increased the kicking surface by 70%, by reducing the number of 3D panels from 14 （from the 2006 World Cup） to eight, that enables players to transfer all their power into the ball.”
「我們不想再使用有接縫的球，同時要維持生產水平一以貫之。」齊亞談起在亞洲產製的Jabulani時說：「第1個球和第100萬個球水平一致，這種一致性使球在飛行時得以保持完美的平衡，同時減少吸水性。當一個球有32個球面嵌片時，總有交叉接縫處，會影響踢球和傳球。這個球創造了一致的踢球表面並消除熱點。我們相信，經由減少3D球面嵌片的數量，從2006年世界盃的14個減到8個，我們已增加70%踢面，使所有球員得以把全部力量轉移到球上。」
The result is an energetic unit combined with perfect roundness. Following the first tests, players all over the world are enthusiastic and are promising many goals with the new ball. Michael Ballack of Germany said: “Fantastic, the ball does exactly what I want it to.” Czech footballer Petr Cech said： “You can feel the energy coming towards you, like a shot.” English footballer Frank Lampard： “A very strong ball, true to hit.” And Brazilian footballer Kak?added： “For me, contact with the ball is all-important, and that's just great with this ball.” Though it is still unknown if the space-age ball with have any effect of the performance of the game, it has been endorsed by famous players such as David Beckham, Xabi Alonso and Bastian Schweinsteiger.
成果是一個能量結合完美圓形的球體。第一次試踢後，世界各國球員熱情相挺，同時承諾會用新球射進更多球。德國隊的巴拉克說：「太棒了，這正是我想要的。」捷克球員切赫說：「你可以感受到能量源源而來，有如射球進門。」英格蘭球員蘭帕德則說：「這是個非常強有力的球，絕對可以得分。」巴西球員卡卡則說：「對我來說，觸球那一剎那最重要，這個球實在沒話說。」雖然這個太空時代的球是否會影響球賽的表現目前仍是未知數，但一些明星球員像貝克漢、阿隆索和史汪斯泰格也都表示肯定。
Adidas always involves world-class athletes in the development and testing of its products. For the Adidas Jabulani, Adidas partners AC Milan, FC Bayern Munchen, the Orlando Pirates and Ajax Cape Town tested the ball in 2008, contributing to improvements in the surface structure and material composition. The involvement of players will continue to help bring the best football products to market.
愛迪達在開發和測試新產品時，一向請世界重量級運動員參與。在設計Jabulani球時，愛迪達合作夥伴AC米蘭隊、拜仁慕尼黑隊、奧蘭多海盜隊和開普敦阿賈克斯隊都在2008年測試過這個球，這也有助於改善球的表面結構和材料構成。球員參與也有助於讓最好的足球產品持續上市。
Officials also feel the scientifically designed ball will make the World Cup only that much greater this year. “This ball will unify us in this country,” World Cup organising committee chief Danny Jordaan explained at the unveiling ceremony for “Jabulani”. “It carries a lot of hope for the future of this country.”
官員也覺得，科技設計的足球將使今年世界盃比賽更有意義。「這個球會使我們這個國家統一。」世界盃組委會主任喬達安在「Jabulani」發表儀式上解釋說：「它帶給這個國家的未來無窮的希望。」
Looking back of World Cup balls through the years, the first from Adidas that was the official World Cup ball, the black-and-white speckled sphere divided into 32 hexagons, the Telstar, carries an interesting story. “It was the first World Cup televised in color and Adidas wanted the ball to be more visible, but the black-and-white design was not patented by Adi Dassler,” Aea said. The design became ubiquitous and recognizable the world over, not to mention copied.
回顧歷屆世界盃使用的球，愛迪達首次設計的世界盃官方足球，是由32塊黑白相間的六角形嵌面組成的球體，取名Telstar（通訊衛星），其中有個有趣的插曲。「這是世足賽第一次彩色電視轉播，愛迪達希望球能更顯眼，但黑白設計的專利並非由愛迪達創辦人愛迪．達斯勒取得。」齊亞說。後來這項設計無所不在，而且得到全世界認同，遑論複製。
For some folks, mini-soccer balls are all the rage and a must have for their collections. “Worldwide, Adidas sold about 15 million of the World Cup ball for the 2006 World Cup in Germany, the Teamgeist, in various incarnations （match ball, replica, mini, etc.）,” Zea said. Which is your favorite World Cup ball from the past 40 years?
Photos show a camera woman shooting a giant replica of the official football of the 2010 Football World Cup “Jabulani” near the north Italian city of Bolzano.
對某些人來說，小型足球十分搶手，是他們志在必得的收藏品。齊亞說：「愛迪達2006年德國世足賽時，在全球售出約1500萬個足球Teamgeist，它有各種不同的化身（比賽用球、山寨版，迷你版等）。」過去40年來，哪個世界盃足球是你的最愛？
照片顯示一位女攝影師正在義大利北部城市波扎諾拍攝今年世足賽官方用球Jabulani的巨大複製品。（法新社）