The present study compares self-rated depressive symptoms of 95 inpatients with depressive syndromes: 45 in Germany and 50 in Egypt. In each country, 50 patients suffering from acute internal diseases served as controls. Psychiatric patients were selected according to DSM-III criteria for major depressive disorder (MDD). Depressive symptoms and depth of depression were scored by the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The self-rating of depressive symptoms proved sufficient for transcultural comparison, provided controls are used, and was more practicable than observer rating scales. The results indicate higher BDI total scores for Egyptian than for German inpatients. This appear to be due to cultural differences, presumably mostly in language performance ("tendency to hyperbole"). Moreover, Egyptians complained more about somatic symptoms, as has already been frequently suggested on the basis of clinical observations.