Steve Nash's Soccer Game Gets Innovative Sponsor

Source: Ortsbo

Every year, for the last three years, Steve Nash has held a soccer match in New York City and invited his basketball playing and pro soccer friends. Later that night, the group gathers for a party that benefits his foundation.

The game is different not only because it's a chance to see Nash, Tony Parker and Brandon Jennings play soccer, along with former USA World Cup team captain Claudio Reyna and Giuseppe Rossi of Villareal CF and the Italian National Team, but also because it is played "Rucker Park style" in Chinatown.

The event, which takes place at 6 p.m. ET tomorrow, caught my eye this year because of its sponsor, Ortsbo, an experiential translation service that provides an instant chat translator in over 50 languages.

At 11 a.m. tomorrow, those that register on the Web site can participate in a chat with Nash and that chat immediately will be translated in whatever language the participant wants to see it. It's a great attention-getter for a company looking to put itself on the map.

"The world is getting smaller and smaller and what Ortsbo offers is another step in the direction we're going in," Nash said.

Source: Ortsbo

The company plans on licensing out software that instantaneously translates emails from one language to another and is working on a full commercial suite of translating services for corporations. Ortsbo CEO David Lucatch says the event with Nash, who is a spokesman along with Gene Simmons of KISS, helps tout the brand's capabilities.

"Someone can ask a question in Spanish and it can be translated immediately into English," Lucatch said. "The answer could be typed in English and received back in Portuguese."

"When the Internet first came about, almost everyone who was using it spoke English," Lucatch said. "Now only one out of every four speak English."

Nash said next year he wants to broadcast the soccer game. It was packaged and fully produced two years ago, but never made it onto a network.

Said Nash: "I have a feeling we'll do YouTube next year."

Questions? Comments? [e-mail]