To look at something from an onlooker's or outsider's point of view; to judge or observe from a third-person perspective.
はたから見ると彼の怒りは大げさに見えるが、当人は本気だった。
From an outsider's point of view his anger looks exaggerated, but he was serious.
事件をはたから見るだけでは、真相はわからないことが多い。
You often can't know the truth of an incident just by looking at it as an outsider.
はたから見ればあの二人は喧嘩しているように見えたが、実際は冗談を言い合っていただけだ。
To onlookers the two seemed to be fighting, but in fact they were just joking with each other.