Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Spanish term or phrase:
hay que ver cuán feroz puede llegar a ser cuando se exalta
English translation:
she can be incredibly / really fierce when roused
Spanish term
Costa Rica
hay que ver cuán feroz puede llegar a ser cuando se exalta
Mar 27, 2017 21:37: Charles Davis Created KOG entry
Non-PRO (2): Carol Gullidge, Yvonne Gallagher
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Proposed translations
she can be incredibly / really fierce when roused
"hay que ver
1. expr. U. para ponderar algo notable. ¡Hay que ver cómo han crecido estos niños!
2. expr. U., sin complemento, como exclamación ponderativa."
http://dle.rae.es/?id=baOo6Gz|baR8qnC
The Collins Dictionary handles it well:
" ⇒ ¡hay que ver lo que te pareces a tu madre!" "gosh! how like your mother you are o look!"
" ⇒ ¡hay que ver lo que ha cambiado la ciudad!" "it's incredible o you wouldn't believe how much the town has changed!"
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/spanish-english...
So something like "You wouldn't believe how..." or "You'd be amazed how..." is called for. There are many possibilities.
For the rest, I think "fierce" or "ferocious" and "worked up" would be fine. I feel, though, that it would be more effective not to make it too long. As an alternative, I'm suggesting a set phrase, "fierce when roused", which seems to fit well here. And I'm just using "incredibly" for "hay que ver" to produce a neater, more concise result. But there are many combinations you could use. "You wouldn't believe how ferocious she can be when she's worked up" would be all right, for example, but as I say I prefer something shorter.
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Note added at 9 hrs (2017-03-27 06:20:54 GMT)
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"rouse
2 Cause to feel angry or excited.
‘the crowds were roused to fever pitch by the drama of the race’"
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/us/rouse
"But I think the real moral is, don't ever, ever piss off Joan. She can be fierce when roused."
http://bigbadbuddhist.blogspot.com.es/
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Álvaro Espantaleón Moreno
4 hrs
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Many thanks, Álvaro :)
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neilmac
: "You wouldn't believe how fierce she can get when she kicks off..."
4 hrs
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That's more like it! Thanks a lot, Neil :)
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| agree |
Adoración Bodoque Martínez
: I like Neil's option too!
10 hrs
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Thanks very much, Adoración :) I think it's good too.
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Robert Forstag
: Upon further reflection, I think your option works very well, and seems to accurately reflect the register of the original.
13 hrs
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Thank you very much, Robert.
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you have to see how fierce she becomes when she gets worked up
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Yvonne Gallagher
: ferocious
2 hrs
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| agree |
ormiston
: ferocious
9 hrs
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| neutral |
Charles Davis
: I don't think "you have to see" is suitable. "Hay que ver" is a colloquial phrase and doesn't imply its literal meaning.
12 hrs
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Fair point, to a point. Twas a bit late last night. On reflection, I would say: 'You should see...'
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| agree |
neilmac
: "You just wouldn't believe how ferocious..."
13 hrs
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United States
Laudable Lady Linguist
Native in: English 
Works in: Spanish to English, French to English, English to Spanish, and 3 more.
you have to see how she rages on and on when she gets all worked up
| neutral |
Charles Davis
: I don't think "you have to see" is suitable. "Hay que ver" is a colloquial phrase and doesn't imply its literal meaning.
11 hrs
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United States
An economic geek with social skills
Native in: French 
Works in: English to French, French to English, Spanish to English, and 1 more.
you have to see how ferocious she can get when under excitation
| neutral |
Charles Davis
: I don't think "you have to see" is suitable. "Hay que ver" is a colloquial phrase and doesn't imply its literal meaning. And "under excitation" is not very idiomatic.
11 hrs
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one has to really see , how mad she gets when she's annoyed
exaltarse= annoyed
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Charles Davis
: I don't think "one really has to see" is suitable. "Hay que ver" is a colloquial phrase and doesn't imply its literal meaning.
8 hrs
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I agree, there are better renditions. Thanks you for your comments. :)
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It's incredible how nasty she can be when she kicks off
"You wouldn't believe how ferocious she gets when she flies off the handle..."·
etc.
There are many different ways to express these notions, which n is what makes it so difficult.
NB: If this were my text, I would split the long Spanish sentence into two or three in translation. (This would be the 2nd one)
Discussion