Polygon: Although its hard to believe now, Hideo Kojima was unknown in the West at that point in the early to mid-90s. I first met him when I worked at Konamis HQ in Toranomon, Tokyo, from about September 1993 to March 1995.
That one-and-a-half-year span felt like at least five years due to the high-pressure environment of being the only foreigner in the office, and the horrible Tokyo rush-hour train commute. I would later translate Metal Gear Solid for the PlayStation, a job that might have been much too big for one person.
This is how it all happened.
Source: N4G PC The bizarre, true story of Metal Gear Solids English translation